La-Blue-Eyez

The Grasshopper

2006-07-03T19:14:00.000-05:00

Can you believe I'm finally updating my photo blog? I have no excuses for not doing it aside from being totally uninspired. I'm just so tired of taking pictures that have water in them. I guess that's a disadvantage of living on a peninsula.

I make no promises for fast updates in here, but I will update again, just keep checking back. Don't give up on me! :) And leave me a comment so I know someone is still out there!

*****

We had a rainshower earlier this afternoon. After the rain stopped, I looked out on our arch-way in the garden and saw this guy sitting on the side of it. This thing was HUGE! The grasshopper was about 4 inches long (Though my mom says it was closer to 5, but what does she know? lol) I was scared to get to close to it. It had these thorn looking things on it's legs, and it was so big, I didn't know rather it'd spit at me, bite me, or just flat out attack me. So I did what any girl would do... I shot the picture and ran like a sissy. =)

Photo taken on July 3, 2006

The Grasshopper

Happy Insect, happy Thou,
Dost neither Age, nor Winter know.

But when thou'st drunk, and danc'd, and sung
Thy fill, the flowry Leaves among,
(Voluptuous, and Wise withal,
Epicurean Animal!)
Satiated with thy Summer Feast,
Thou retir'st to endless Rest.

(Abraham Cowley [1618-1667] British poet.)

Thursday Challenge

2006-05-29T22:07:00.000-05:00

CURRENT Theme is "GROUND"
(Mud, Dirt, Grass, Gardens, Pavement, Gravel, Stones, Gravel, Litter...)

Photo taken on 05/26/2006

Thursday Challenge

2006-05-19T18:40:00.000-05:00

CURRENT Theme is "PASSAGEWAY"
(Stairs, Hallway, Door, Porch, Tunnel, Bridge, Escalator, Elevator, Road,...)

Photo was taken on 05/19/2006

Thursday Challenge

2006-05-10T21:55:00.000-05:00

CURRENT Theme is "FAMILY"
(Mothers, Fathers, Children, Grandparents, Grandchildren, Aunts, Uncles, Family Events, Family Traditions, Heirlooms,...)

I know this is probably a little strange for my challenge. These are pictures of pictures. I disovered the first 2 pictures in my moms' room. She doesn't have them displayed out in the open. They're just hidden on one of her shelves. Both of these photographs were taken in the late 1940's. My mom guestimates they were taken around 1948 or 1949.

This one is a picture of my mom's birth mother, my grandpa and HIS grandmother. My mom's birth mother died when my mom was 11 years old. She hardly remembers her and has very few photos of her. The memories and photographs she has, she cherishes. My grandpa passed away when I was 13. He was and still is the best man in the world in my eyes. I was 100% grandpa's girl. The older woman, who I guess would be my great great grandmother, died before my mom was born. It's really strange for me to think of my grandpa having his own set of grandparents. That probably sounds stupid, but he was always "My Grandpa". I miss him so much.

This picture is of my great grandparents and their daughter-in-laws (at the time this photo was taken). From left to right is my Aunt Margie who just passed away in February. My mom's birth mom. My mom's Aunt Mary Magdaline (I say she's my mom's because her husband [my grandpa's brother] passed away long before I was born. After he died, she re-married and never came around our family). My great grandmother and great grandfather (my grandpa's parents). I knew my great grandma. But my great grandpa died when my mom was a little girl. My great grandma died when I was about 8 or 9. I still remember her quite well though. She was hilarious.

This picture was taken in 1976. We were living in Mexico with my abuelita (grandma). From left to right, daddy, abuelita, mom and me. I was 2 years old. My mom and dad used to always get teased about how tall she was and how short he was. Their friends called them "Sonny and Cher".

This photo was taken in 1981 in Burbank California. It was the first time I'd seen daddy since my parents divorced. I was 7 years old. Daddy had taken me to buy my very first camera. It was a Polaroid, one of those that spit the picture out after you took it. This was one of the very first pictures I took with it.

Rainy Morning

2006-05-09T13:58:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning to the sounds of soft rain hitting my windows. I love that sound. I rushed out of bed to run and look out the window. It was so beautiful and still. Peaceful.

I noticed something on the ledge of the window. I looked closer and saw this soaking wet pidgeon. Normally I can't stand these birds. They poop on everything and they never shut up. But this morning, this bird pulled at my heartstrings. It looked so sad and scared sitting there all alone. I wanted to open the window and try to let it in. But then the bird opened it's eyes and looked straight at me. That feeling went away quickly! Evil birds!

I decided to grab my umbrella and go outside and see if I could take some pictures to capture the feeling of happiness and tranquility the rain gives me. Everything is beautiful and I see things in a different way.

I walked around the house and heard water pouring down onto the ground. I looked up and discovered I had my very own waterfall!!!

We haven't really had much rain this year. In fact this is probably only our second or third rain which is very unusual for Florida. Waking up to the sounds and the freshness the rain brings was exactly what I needed. I think Mother Nature's works of art probably enjoyed it just as much. Yay for rainy mornings!

All photos were taken on 05/09/2006

Thursday Challenge

2006-04-27T09:44:00.000-05:00

CURRENT Theme is "SPRING"
(Baby Animals, Tree Buds, Flowers, Birds, Green Plants, S. Cleaning, Coil, Jump, Fountain, Hot Springs, Bouncy,...)

Photo taken on 03/12/2006

Vacation Pics

2006-04-26T14:08:00.000-05:00

FYI: For those of you visiting from my diary, you can leave comments here. You do not have to be a member of blogger to post a comment.

Ok, so it's been nearly a month since I have updated and I really REALLY did not mean for that to happen! Sometimes time goes by so fast and you don't even realize it until its gone.

But I'm back now and I have pictures from my vacation in the Bahamas. So without further ado...

If you read my diary then a lot of this will be repeated, but now you'll have the pictures to visualize it all. If you don't read my diary, I'll give you the shortened version of my vacation.

Photo was taken on 04/21/2006

Once we were all aboard the ship, Katrina (my sister for those that don't know) and I decided to go and eat breakfast. After breakfast we went walking around. We found the casino. I’d only been gambling one time in my life and I lost my ass. But hey, I was on vacation, so why not? I put in $10 and started playing the slots. I was winning 5 quarters back almost every other spin, but I kept playing them. I wasn’t winning enough to… And there it was! I hit for $40 bucks. I cashed out right then. I wasn’t about to keep playing after that. That was my first “real” win and I wasn’t going to be greedy. So we left the casino and went to the lounge.

Photo was taken on 04/21/2006

Where I had my first of many drinks on this vacation!

Photo was taken on 04/21/2006

As we got closer and could see the island from the ship I noticed the ocean water was a beautiful aqua color. I'd never seen water this color before without being in a pool. It was beautiful!

Photo was taken on 04/21/2006

When our ship pulled into the port, this was the first thing you could see. It's nothing pretty or exciting. It was a giant warehouse type building with a big metal sign that said welcome.

Photo was taken on 04/22/2006

Our second day there, we took a tour of the island. Our tour guide was great. He told us about the history of the island, and took us down to a place that locals call, "Millionaires Row" which is where all of the million dollar houses are. During our tour, he drove us by the only castle on all of the Bahama islands. The man that owns this castle is the same man that owns all of the McDonalds, KFC's, and Pizza Huts on all of the islands. Oddly enough, there are no Taco Bell's on any of the Bahama Islands.

Photo was taken on 04/22/2006

During that tour he also took us to Taino Beach. The sand is so soft and so fine, you can't help but take your flip flops off and walk on it. Well, at least I couldn't! =)

Photo was taken on 04/23/2006

On Sunday we were picked up and taken to the Xanadu resort where we soaked in some sun. The beach was beautiful and the water felt wonderful.

Photo was taken on 04/23/2006

After a couple of hours of soaking in the sun, we headed out for a glass bottom boat cruise. We saw 2 sharks once we got in the deepest parts of the ocean, but they were swimming in circles around the boat so fast I couldn't get a picture. The striped fish in the above picture are called Seargent Majors. The other fish is a type of trout. I can't remember what he called them. They have blue bodies with a thin yellow strip going down each of their sides and their tails are a bright yellow. The First Mate said they were great eating. I'll just have to take his word on that.

Photo was taken on 04/23/2006

Katrina had asked me if I thought we were going to flip over on the boat. We were rocking really hard on the water and the waves were crashing up on the sides of the boat and spraying us. I told her to keep an eye on the Captains quarters. If she saw the First Mate was no longer kicked back and chillin, then she'd need to worry. I do believe he had the most comfortable seat on the boat though. =)

Photo was taken on 04/24/2006

One thing I loved about being on the island is the music and the scenery in the bars and stores. Just about anywhere you go on the island you'll hear caribbean music and just about every bar you go to will be decorated in something tropical. It's very relaxing and I think it makes you drink more. =P

Photo was taken on 04/24/2006

On our last day there, we went shopping at the International Bazaar. We went to the Perfume Factory and created our own fragrance and named it. You choose 1 to 3 oils that you want to blend to get your scent. Once you've decided, they take you to the mixing room where you get a vial and find your oils and begin mixing them.

Photo taken on 04/24/2006

Once you've created your fragrance and it's been bottled and labeled with the name you chose, they give you a certificate and register your perfume with the name of it and your name so you can re-order it when you run out. You can also make lotions.

Photo was taken on 04/24/2006

And just for the pure sake of entertainment, here is DJ doing karaoke with his fly unzipped and his belly exposed. You MUST click on the picture to enlarge it and get a big laugh. Karma is a bitch and I was very pleased to be there to see it in action!

Photo was taken on 04/24/2006

This is a rare event that will probably never happen again. But I really like this picture. This is me. I'm aware that you can't actually see me, and that is the whole reason I'm putting it on here. But I love how it shows my profile taking in the beauty of the sunset. I was lost in so many thoughts and reflecting back on everything that had happened in the past 4 days. It was a beautiful moment and I'm glad it was captured in a photograph.

Thursday Challenge

2006-03-30T09:15:00.000-05:00

CURRENT Theme is "TOOLS"
(Hammer, Nail, Screwdriver, Screw, Saw, Wretch, Workshop, Pots, Pans, Knives, Pen, Pencil,...)

Photo was taken on 2/20/2006

At work we have to run biological tests on several things before they can be used in surgery. This is our incubator with the vials waiting for me to read the results.

*****

Note: Only one photo has been color enhanced on this page. All of the others are Mother Natures work of art. The coloring is natural.

Yesterday Katrina and I took off and went to the beach. It was a beautiful day out and I needed an escape. Once I got there, I realized it really wasn't an escape... It's Spring Break and the beach was crawling with tourists! ACK!!!

The beach that I go to is a Key (or island that changes shape during time) I did take along my camera and suffered through the hundreds of people. I have to say, one thing that cracks me up about tourists is listening to them talk. Everyone knows more about something than the other person. And those that don't pretend to know, just act like they own the place. It's so amusing!

Ok, I'm done making fun of the tourists... So I went to the beach and decided to take a walk up to the fort. At the fort, you can walk around inside. Some of the rooms have interesting info and some have a few displays that you can view.

The fort is built right on the water and they've covered it with sand, dirt, and grass so that it couldn't be seen as ships were sailing by. This is one of the cannons in the back of the fort, where you can actually tell it's a fort. There are look-out rooms where they could see all sides of the fort.

This is a chainlink that was once used to hold the cannons in place. Obviously there were a lot more links that were attached to it back then. This is all that remains now. This chainlink is huge though. It's about the size of your (or MY as SF wanted to be so technical about) head.

This photo is the one that has been color enhanced. The leaves were originally brown.

Once you’ve climbed to the top of the fort, the view is exhilarating. You can see around the entire Key. The water yesterday was beautiful. It was calm and a shade of blue/turquoise that I’ve only see a couple of times. The sun was high and shining bright and the water sparkled under the rays.

Katrina saw this and remembered a challenge I had done a while back. The challenge was for "Things that Look Like Faces" she pointed this out to me and said, "Well, there's your face picture". A little late sis, but thank you. lol

As we were climbing down from the fort, I saw these palm trees. They made me giggle because it looked like a Mama palm and her baby. Aww!

There are certain places you can stand on the Key and see both sides of the island. I was standing at one of the places and took the shot above and the shot below. The one below is a picture of the beach I always go to. The one above is a place I've never ventured to. It looks pretty though.

All photos (except for the photo challenge) were taken on 3/29/2006

Thursday Challenge

2006-03-23T00:50:00.000-05:00

CURRENT Theme is "ENERGY"
(Children, Youth, Athletes, Electrical Plug, Power line, Power Station, Oil Well, Pipelines, Nuclear Power Plant, Wood Stove,...)

Photo was taken sometime in 2003

Only in Florida would you see a Mickey Mouse electric pole.

Sorry about the quality of this picture. It was taken on film and my scanner isn't very good.

Bi-Monthly Photo Challenge

2006-03-21T18:36:00.000-05:00

The theme for this challenge is: GRAFFITI

I drove around looking for graffiti that wasn't so pleasant to the eye. My city is clean of the vandalism type of graffiti. What I did discover though was a world full of artists that love to paint murals on buildings or fences. I couldn't believe how much beauty there is painted all over and just begging for attention.

A random fence I saw as I was driving down a street.

My camera lens wasn't wide enough to capture the entire fence in one shot. So here's the other half of it.

I have been in love with this mural since I saw it nearly 3 years ago. It's painted on the side of a night club called the X-Kaliber. The painting takes up an entire side of the building. Again, my lens wasn't wide enough to take the entire wall one one shot, so I broke part of it down.

I zoomed in so I could see the details better.

All photographs were taken on 3/15/2006

I'm so in love with this mural. It looks nothing like the club, nor does it have clubbers that are as elegant as the mural shows. But when I look at it, I feel like I can see someones dream, someones vision of what they'd like their night club to be someday.

Downtown

2006-03-17T21:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Katrina (my sister for those who don't know) and I went to the movies. As we were walking towards my car, we both looked out and saw a perfect view of the Gulf. We were parked on the 4th level, so our vision was not blocked by anything. The sight was amazing.

Standing at the edge of the garage and looking straight out, you could see the marina and all of the boats docked.

This was my view of (a small part) downtown.

All photos were taken on 3/16/2006

This tree was tucked away. I wanted to get a better shot of it, but it was so far away from where we were and I had no clue what street it was on. We drove around, but never did find it.

It's so beautiful here. I've said that since I first moved here. It looks so cozy and safe. It's so surreal, sometimes, for me to look at something so beautiful in pictures, but know that looks really are decieving.

Photo Shoot Fun

2006-03-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

These are some of the pictures taken from this morning when Katrina and I had a "photo shoot". Katrina is a pretty girl and she knows it. So when a camera is around, a simple task, such as me simply taking a picture of her eye, is not possible. We had fun this morning though. I know the lighting is bad, but she works over nights and the bright light was hurting her eyes. So we closed the shades and I worked with the light we had.

This is actually one of my favorite pictures of her from today. It reminds me of a picture taken from the 70's. Her hair and the coloring of the light just make it a perfect retro pic to me.

She's trying to figure out how she wants to pose... I got tired of waiting so I took the picture. Turned out pretty well for it to be unplanned.

This is her Brittney Spears pose. She's trying to look innocent.

I told her to give me a sexy look and this was what she gave me. lol

This is her immatation of her dad yelling at the black woman this morning. It's actually a pretty good immatation!

I was tired of watching Katrina trying to pose. So I told her what to do and she did it. This is an innocent picture.

All photos were taken on 3/16/2006

I really like this one. Another of me telling her what to do. I think it's a fitting picture to end this entry on.

Thursday Challenge

2006-03-16T10:50:00.000-05:00

CURRENT Theme is "VISION"
(Windows, Mirror, Eyes, Printed Matter, Glasses, Sunglasses, Monocle, Camera, Microscope, Telescope,...)

Photo was taken on 3/16/2006

Katrina and I had a "Photo Shoot" this morning. This challenge was difficult for me. Everything I had tried, didn't turn out the way I wanted. So, in desperation, I lured Katrina into letting me take a picture of her eye. A bit boring I know, but we had fun doing it. I'll post another entry with "shots" from the mornings "photo shoot", I'm sure you'll find some of the pictures as entertaining as I did taking them.

Photo was taken on 3/14/2006

And this pic just fits the theme. Chardonnay is always my Super Model! Though this pic wasn't taken for this challenge, I couldn't miss an opprotunity to show off my cool cat!

Adventures at work

2006-03-13T15:57:00.000-05:00

When you work for 16 hours a day you get bored. You long to be outside, especially on days that are beautiful! This weekend was a killer for me. Not only was it beautiful outside, but it was slow inside. I felt every minute tick tick away. Anticipating that it would be like that, I took my camera to work with me yesterday.

Across the street from the hospital is a historic park. I'm not really sure what is historic about it aside from the trees, but nevertheless it's a very pretty, well kept park. I love taking my breaks outside and just taking in it's beauty.

This is a tree lined path that leads you around the hospital.

The first signs of spring. What I find funny about this, is you can see in the background and in all of the photos, all of the green on the grass and the trees. But this tree apparently ignores the fact that it's warm all year round. It had no leaves in the winter months, and now that it's spring, it's sprouting spring flowers.

Another tree that has spring flowers. Unlinke the one above though, this one never lots it's leaves.

This is Spanish Moss. Everyone laughs at me because I think it's pretty. Apparently you're not supposed to. It's an air weed. It catches on to trees and just hangs there and grows. It suffocates the trees, so they tell me. But everytime I see it hanging on different trees, it reminds me of hair and makes the trees seem like they're in a beauty contest.

A crane. You see them in different places around here. There are 7 of them hanging out at the park right now. They just arrived last week.

All photos were taken on 3/12/2006. No editing has been done to them except for resizing.

And this little guy was a ham! When I walked outside he ran from me. As soon as I busted out my camera and started taking photographs, he came back near me. I sat there enjoying the sunshine and ignoring him. Not about to miss a photo opprotunity, he kept making noises and kept playing with me. Finally I gave in and took his picture.

So there you have it. The adventures of my boredom at work. Hope you enjoyed your visit. =)

Thursday Challenge

2006-03-09T01:02:00.000-05:00

Ok, so once again it is time for the Thursday challenge. I decided to experiment with this one. I'm posting this early because I'm hoping that someone can give me some tips to achieve what I was trying to do. So here goes...

CURRENT Theme is "NATURE"
(Trees, Bush, Grass, Wild Animals, Mountains, Hills, Lake, River, Pond, Desert, Tundra, Savanna, Prairie,...)

Photo was taken on 2/2/2006

This is the original picture. I want to learn how to enhance a picture with Photoshop. I know a lot of photographers use the program to enhance the colors. So...

I cropped the picture and sharpened it. The original is a little blurry. This part isn't the part I'm having issues on...

This part is! As you can see, the original picture didn't have a lot of bright color in it. I wanted to enhance the colors of the trees, grass, and the Gulf. I am pleased with the colors except for one thing... The TREE TRUNKS are GREEN! Gah! I tried everything to get them to go back to brown. But I don't know how to do it. I tried different filters, I tried different variations, and without changing all of the colors, nothing worked. So how does everyone enhance the colors without making brown tree trunks green? Someone? Anyone?

Thanks to Bonvilston and Clarity, I have BROWN tree trunks now! WOO HOO! Thank you both!

Bi-Monthly Photo Challenge

2006-03-08T16:10:00.000-05:00

I was late with my last entry for this challenge, that's why these 2 are so close together. I'm also aware that I'm slacking again in updating here (and in my diary), but I'll start being better, I swear!

The theme for this challenge is: COLD

Photo taken on 2/27/2006

This is another picture of the frost on my car. It was my first attempt at trying to do a texture/macro shot. It turned out ok, but I think I can do better with practice.

Bi-Monthly Photo Challenge

2006-03-06T12:03:00.000-05:00

The theme for this challenge is: "Things that look like faces"

Photo taken on 2/1/2006

This is a shell of a horseshoe crab. It had washed up on the beach. When I see these, it always frightens me. I guess because of the size of them (They don't bite). Their shells can be pretty big. This one was the size of a volley ball. As soon as I saw it, I had to take the shot. The "face" reminds me of the ghosts from Pacman.

Thursday Challenge

2006-03-02T13:20:00.000-05:00

CURRENT Theme is "BLACK&WHITE"
(Achromatic, Television, Old Movie, Monochrome Photos, Zebra, Keyboard, Chess Board, Floor Tiles, Cloth,...)

Photo was taken in 2005

This is a partial picture of my house. I've always thought it looked like an old time western jail house. Seeing it in black and white makes it look even moreso. Welcome to my prison...

Thursday Challenge

2006-03-01T18:33:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I'm a little late with the Thursday Challenge, but I didn't want to be left out and seeing how tomorrow starts a new one... I had to hustle!

CURRENT Theme is "PINK"
(Rose, Blush, Good Health, Tickled Pink, Glow, Sunset, Bubblegum, Lemonade, Precious Stone, Jewelry, Light Red, Flamingos, Piglets...)

Both photos were taken on 3/1/2006

I was looking out the kitchen window this morning and saw two of our bushes had these flowers growing like crazy all over them. I have no idea what kind of flower or bushes they are, but the bumble bees seem to love them.

I couldn't decide which picture I liked better, so I'm posting two for this challenge... Call it a bonus for me being a week late. =)

My trip to the Midwest

2006-03-01T16:42:00.000-05:00

If you plan on taking a vacation in the near future to southern Mississippi or to Pensacola Florida, I highly recommend making reservations now. It's very hard to find a room, if not impossible. On our first night of our trip, we stopped in Pensacola. We had to drive to 3 different hotels before we could find a room. The hotel we found with rooms available only had 2 left... And it was only 8:30 in the evening.

Photo was taken on 2/22/2006

This was our view from the hotel window. It wasn't a bad hotel at all. In fact, it was actually the nicest one we stayed at during the duration of our trip (It was also the most expensive). I took this picture because I thought it was a beautiful shot at Florida living. I'm not trying to be negative or anything. Everything is just so expensive here and yet people always seem to make due and survive. (Unfortunately due to the high cost of living, crime rate is through the roof as well. But that's another subject for my diary and not my photo blog)

Photo was taken on 2/22/2006

This was taken as we were crossing a bridge into Alabama. There were warning signs all over saying "WARNING: INTENSE FOG AHEAD". We didn't think much about it. We could see some fog, but it wasn't anything to freak out about and the sun was shining bright. Then we drove onto the bridge... The fog was unbelievable! In this picture you can see a tree and some land. There was actually an entire body of water that the fog had consumed, as well as several battleships and construction riggs. It wasn't until we came back through in the middle of the afternoon when I realized how thick the fog was. I saw 3 different battleships I didn't know were on the water and the entire bridge was under construction, which I hadn't realized the first time we crossed the bridge through the fog.

Photo was taken on 2/22/2006

As we were driving along SR49 in Mississippi this truck pulled up beside us. Mom and I looked over and the guy in the passenger seat waved at us. Mom and I smiled back and we all continured driving. It wasn't until this truck was ahead of us that my mom said, "What is Girls Gone Wild?" I asked her why she'd ask me that question. She said that the truck had it posted on the side and along the trailer they were pulling. I started laughing and wondered how I could explain to my mom what it was. Finally I just told her the truth... "Mom, they go to parties, find drunk girls and get them to show their boobies and make out with other girls while they film it" My mom, everso bright said, "Oh! Why don't we catch up to them and see where their going?" I started laughing and told her she was disgusting. She did speed up so I could take a picture of the trailer sign though.

Photo was taken on 2/23/3006

When you go through Memphis Tennessee into West Memphis Arkansas you have to cross a very long bridge. I have a huge fear of bridges. Not so much all bridges, only bridges that are over water. As we crossed the bridge in Alabama, the fog was so thick I couldn't see the water so my fear wasn't activated. Going through Memphis was a different story. Most people I know, like to look out at the water when they're driving on a bridge... I, on the other hand, look up. This was my view as we were crossing the Mississippi River.

Photo was taken on 2/23/2006

I've always heard that sunsets are different colors depending on where you're at. Here in Florida the sunsets are shades of pinks and purples. In the middle of the USA, they're shades of oranges and golds. This is the sunset we watched as we were driving through Arkansas.

Photo was taken on 2/26/2006

This picture was taken the day we were leaving Oklahoma. It was hard to leave my home again. As we drove through different towns/cities, I remembered things from my past. This is a picture of Lake Eufaula. I have camped there several times throughout my life. This was the lake I was at the first time I went tubing. It was such a fun time.

Photo was taken on 2/26/2006

As you drive through different states you find little hidden treasures. We had stopped at a rest area in Arkansas to stretch our legs. I was walking around and couldn't resist this picture. The mountain in the background is one of the Ozarks. I love the little pond hidden in the trees.

Photo was taken on 2/27/2006

Sunday night we stayed in Canton Mississippi. When I walked out of the hotel room Monday morning I was so excited! There was frost on my car windows! I touched it to make sure it wasn't ice. I was so excited I started squeeling for my mom to come outside and look! I started doing an "I see frost dance". My mom stood there laughing at my stupidity, but I didn't care! I was experiencing winter, even if it was only a small amount. There were 2 men standing outside next to their car watching my joy. They were laughing, then one of them came over and joined my "I see frost dance" and started dancing too! YAY FOR FROST!!!

Photo was taken on 2/27/2006

This was another little hidden treasure I discovered. We had stopped at another rest stop and I was walking around. I looked across all 4 lanes of the highway and saw another hidden pond just begging to be explored.

Photo was taken on 2/27/2006

The Mississippi flag. I have always found this state flag amusing for some reason. I guess because it bares the southern cross on it and through all the controversy of the southern cross, Mississippi flies it proudly. As you drive through the state, you'll also see alot of Confederate flags flying high as well.

At peace

2006-02-20T20:53:00.000-05:00

I've been reflecting back today. Thinking about my aunt and the times we shared. She was so loving and always accepting.

As I got older, we spent less time with her. But everytime I saw her, she was still the same. She always asked questions and always gave hugs to everyone. Rather she knew you or was just meeting you, she greeted you with a hug.

When she heard that I had gotten married, she had a million questions to ask me. Was he worth it? Was he a good provider? Did he treat me right? I laughed and knew what she was hinting around to. I invited her over for dinner so she could meet the man I had married. She gave me her blessing that night and asked that we spend more time with her. And I promised her we would... And I kept that promise.

After my divorce, she was mad. "I knew he was a good for nothing! Anyone that could leave someone as precious as you doesn't deserve a thing! He obviously is an idiot. I knew it the moment I met him!" She hugged me tight and told me that it was going to be ok. She told me that there was someone out there that is good for something. She just wasn't sure what that something was. I laughed.

Before we moved to Florida, I went to visit her with my mom. She was so upset that we were leaving, but she was happy for us too. "Good things are ahead of you. You need to get out and experience life. You're going to be great. I can feel it." She told me.

Each time I talked to her after I moved here, I never once told her how much I disliked it. She was so proud that I had gone to college and was working in the medical field. "You're going to marry a doctor! I can feel it!" She would tell me. Each time I talked to her she would ask if I'd started dating one yet. When I'd start laughing and tell her no, she'd reply "Well, doctors are idiots! You don't want one anyways. Anyone that wouldn't want to date you has got to be an idiot! And anyone that dates you and doesn't keep doing it is a good for nothing and you're better off without him!"

I love her so much. I'll miss her grately.

Photo was taken on 2/3/06

This picture is peaceful. It reminds me of the peace I know my aunt feels now. I know she's happy not to feel pain anymore. I know she's happy not to have to worry anymore. And I know she's still watching me, waiting for me to find that man that's good for something.

Cupid's delivery

2006-02-17T19:13:00.000-05:00

When I arrived home from work today, my mom handed me a box. It was very light and I could hear something sliding around in it. I took it to someplace private for fear of what might by in it. I didn't want to be embarrassed! =) Of course, Chardonnay not seeing me all day made me have to wait a moment longer to see what was in it! I gave her some lovin. Apparently it wasn't enough. She kept sticking her face right up against mine. I'm aware the picture is blurry, but this was my view. My cat is more stubborn than I am sometimes.

Upon opening the box, I see 2 smaller red boxes inside. Each of them was engraved with the words "Red Evelope" across the top. Oooh! Only good things come from that place! I couldn't wait to see what was inside of them!

I opened the big box first. Inside was this beautiful Garnet necklace. I almost started crying, but I still had another box to open. The tears would have to wait!

I reached for the second box. Chardonnay started trying to attack my arm. Apparently while I was finished loving on her, she wasn't quite done with me yet.

Finally I managed to grab the second box. I untied the bow... Only for Chardonnay to think she had a new toy! She started trying to grab the string.

Finally victorious, I managed to open the second box. My mouth dropped opened once again. Inside were the matching Garnet earrings.

I opened the card that came with the gifts.

I'm totally bowing down to my admirer. Cupid was late, but it was so worth the wait! You're the victor this year. You my friend, are triumphant.

Thursday Challenge

2006-02-16T10:52:00.000-05:00

This week I have been terrible at updating. No reason why, I just haven't. I promise next week I'll post more.

Thursday Challenge
CURRENT Theme is "OLD"
(Aged, Weathered, Antique, Historical, Broken Down, Fossil, Decayed, Golden Years, Experienced, Gray-Haired, Grizzled,...)

Photo was taken on 1/25/2006

I took this picture when we were in St. Augustine. This was the first thing we saw when we reached the top of the lighthouse. We had turned our backs so we couldn't see outside. Tucked inside in a little corner was this motor.

The lighthouse was completed in 1876 (construction for it began in 1871). In the 30's they changed it from oil burning to electric.

I'm not sure if this is the original motor or if it's the one used today. I do know that they haven't changed anything in the lighthouse since the 50's, so either way... It's old.

Thursday Challenge

2006-02-09T10:15:00.000-05:00

CURRENT Theme is "TREE"
(Timber, Forest, Branch, Leaves, Wood, Bark, Trunk, Lumber, Saw, Maple Syrup, Amber, Family Tree,...)

Photo was taken on 2/3/2006

Have you ever stood underneath a palm tree and looked up? It looks like a giant dandelion. When we get winds from a tropical storm, you see palm fralms flying as if Mother Nature is blowing on the tree the way you blow on a dandelion.

Note: This picture was not taken by me. It's on here to show comparisons.

Kids, don't try this at home.

2006-02-08T10:36:00.000-05:00

When I see something that has the word "NEW" on it, I have to buy it. Call it a fetish, call it curiosity, call it whatever you want, it won't change anything. Everyone that knows me IRL knows I'm this way. So when they're out shopping and see something "NEW" and it sounds good to them, they'll buy it for me.

Case in point. "NEW" Eggo Cereal. This was purchased over the weekend while I was at work. When I saw the word "NEW" I was sold! So this morning, I gave it a try. I opened the box and smelled it (Something else I do when something is new). It smelled like syrup. Ok, so it passed the smell test. So I poured some into a bowl, poured milk over it, took a bite... Ok, so maybe it'll take another bite for me to decide rather I liked it or not... Nope. The more bites I took, the more it started tasting like raw pancake dough. BLAH!

So kids, what did we learn today? Don't waste your money trying this cereal, and if you do, don't say I didn't warn you. =)

Phot was taken on 2/8/2005

BTW, you'll notice there's no milk in the bowl. My first pictures didn't turn out, so after I was finished eating, I had to go and take more pictures of it. There was no way I was going to pour milk on it and force myself to eat another bowl. So I saved the milk and dumped the cereal. *sigh* The things I do for public awareness.

An Oklahoma Sunset

2006-02-06T12:25:00.000-05:00

I had a dream I was back home last night. Everything about it was so real and... Just how I remember it.

Photo was taken 8/2003

I took this picture before I moved away. I wanted to go out to one of my favorite places and capture the memory of it on film.

Lake Overholser.

I went to this lake when I wanted to be alone. When I wanted to think and didn't want anyone to find me. When I needed to escape. This is also the place that Ronnie and I had our first official date. Though it doesn't symbolize that for me. That's just an after thought.

The day I took this picture, I needed to get away from everything. From everyone talking about Florida, from my friends crying, from all of the Jerry drama, away from it all. I spent the day out there. I drove all around it, remembering all of the memories I had there.

When I was a teen, in the summer time, my friends and I would cruise around the lake. It was like a teenage meat market. We'd be seen, and then we'd pick a spot to hang out at. If guys liked what they'd saw when you were driving around, they'd come and find you. I met so many people during those summers.

As I got older, the lake became a place my friends and I would go to play frisbee or tennis or just walk on the pier and talk about our guy problems. A lot of heart to heart girl talks happened there. A lot of tears were shed and hugs were givin and friendships were strengthened there.

As I got even older, the lake became my place of tranquility. When I needed to go back to a simpler time. I'd go and reminisce. I'd laugh as I thought about the past. I'd cry as I remembered what I was trying to escape from. All the while I was grateful because I had that place to go to remember or to forget. To feel safe. To embrace.

That picture is the last sunset I watched fall over Lake Overholser. I miss that place so much.

Thursday Challenge

2006-02-02T09:32:00.000-05:00

CURRENT Theme is "GROUP"
(Pile, Stack, Collection, Heap, Arrangement, Bunch, People, Crowd, Team, Band, Flock, Herd, Swarm, School, Pair,...)

Both photos were taken on 2/1/06

Candles are one of my favorite things. One of the things I love about them is the mood they can create or change. If I'm in a bad mood, something about watching the flame dancing around flickering will always lighten me up. It's calming. I also love the smell of a candle that's been freshly put out.

Photo Challenge for 2/8/06

2006-01-31T17:42:00.000-05:00

This picture is for a photo challenge. This challenge happens every 2 weeks.

The rules for this challenge (that apply to me) are:

Please include captions and descriptions
Interpret the theme however you please
Pictures must have been taken after the theme has been announced
Retouching (color/contrast/sharpening/cropping) is fine, please avoid outright manipulation

The theme is, "Reflection"

Photo was taken 1/30/06

Caption: In a black and white world, a little color always emerges.

I really like how this picture turned out. It's very dramatic to me. It was actually just an experiment to see if I could turn a color photo, into a black and white, and add color back in. And it worked. The picture to me, represents sadness, and yet happiness at the same time. Maybe even a little playfulness in times of gloom.

Please tell me what you all think. I'm just getting back into the photography thing and would love to hear your opinions.

When the Dog is away...

2006-01-30T14:29:00.000-05:00

... The cat will play.

I love this picture! It's no secret that Chardonnay and DJ do not get along. They both also hold grudges against each other. But that's another story. This picture was taken while my mom and DJ were out of town. What I love about the photo is how peaceful Chardonnay looks. She knows they're gone, and she has made herself right at home in DJ's room. Yes, she's in his room. The place she doesn't dare go near when they're home. She loves to climb on top of his headboard, curl up in a ball, and sleep for hours.

It usually takes her 2 days before she'll get the nerve to venture into the forbidden room. After that, she knows they're gone for a while. She makes herself right at home. I don't try to keep her out of there either. She always stays in his room until she hears his gruff voice upon their return. Then she runs like high hell to get out of there!

Photo was taken on 1/29/2006

Birthday Vacation

2006-01-28T11:55:00.000-05:00

When we arrived in Orlando, we went to the resort to relax. It only takes a bathroom or a kitchen to sell me on a place. I was so in love with the bathroom, nothing else in the apartment mattered. The bathtub was a jacuzzi... Need I say more? =)

This was Katrina's first visit to the Atlantic Ocean. The water was freezing, and the wind was blowing the cold ocean air. That just made it even more cold. (Excuse the blurriness of the picture. I'm still learning how to use my new camera)

This was the ~~mountain~~ lighthouse that we conquered. It was so exhilarating!

219 stairs to reach the top! This was taken looking up, before we'd even attempted to take the first step to reach the top.

The view from the top. Again, excuse the blurriness. The wind was kicking hard. But with a view like that, who cared?

This is my favorite picture that I took. It was after we'd reached the top. It was a little scary to take, I had to back all the way up so my back was against the railing, and I was still leaning backwards. Katrina grabbed onto my arm because she was afraid I'd fall over the railing. I just had to get a picture of the top though. It's just beautiful to me.

This is our view from the top looking down. DJ was at the very bottom looking up at us. I couldn't resist the shot. I marked where he was standing.

On our way to the wax museum, I saw a sign that said, "The Oldest House" I insisted on us stopping to take a look. It is the oldest house in our nation. The history of it was very interesting.

In the courtyard they had a statue of a Franciscan Friar and an indian boy. According to the history, Franciscan Friar's came to Florida with the Spanish to meet with the indian tribes and help spread Christianity.

The wax museum was ok. Not a lot to really see unless you're really into history. They had a few people from recent years.

This is the Chamber of Horrors in the museum. I didn't go into the room, I just stuck my camera in and started shooting. lol I'm a wuss, what can I say?

As we were walking back to our car from the wax museum, I saw this church. It was so beautiful. Very old. I couldn't resist this shot.

As we were driving to Ripley's Believe it or Not, I saw Castillo de Marco. It was amazing! We didn't get to walk around the grounds, everyone was tired by then. I did get a shot of it though.

This was our last stop for the day. Ripley's Believe it or not. Interestingly enough, this building used to be used as a house (Castle I think was the actual word they used). They had a story about how Ripley purchased it. They haven't remodeled the building. They left it the same as it was when it was being lived in.

Note: This picture was not taken by me. I didn't think to take a picture of the museum.

There's so much more that I'd love to go back and see. We couldn't do it in one day. St. Augustine is an amazing city. It's got so much history and the buildings are so beautiful. There's also a lot of statues and everywhere you look, there's historical information so that you can learn as you go. I will definitely go back again.

Note: All photos were taken on 1/25/2006