Foto Fun made possible

Hard to believe that in that 1 year, I got this camera, a variety of lenses, and a handful of awesome photography gadgets.

Padded case that you can put in your purse or any bag for the times you just want to bring the camera with 1 lens.

Custom made camera strap from Phat Straps

Remote Control. No more running into the photo while the timer counts down.

Lightscoop. No more ugly flash pictures!

Awesome camera bag made out of umbrella material. Lots of compartments.

I use Adobe Lightroom for post production. Love it, still learning.

"When possible, shoot with a tripod." - Dan Ober (my uncle, an awesome photographer)

365: Week 29

365: Week 28

Birthday Boy Brad

The night before Brad's birthday, he leaned over and said, "I'm still 33" and laughed. I have a lot of fun teasing Brad about being older than me and he takes it in stride. I have forced some of the birthday traditions I grew up with on Brad over the years. He fully embraces the perks of celebrating your birthday over a whole week and has jumped on the multiple birthday card bandwagon as well. We are all about a nice card, funny card, and a sound card. We celebrated Brad's birthday in style at his favorite restaurant, Morton's. A birthday celebration wouldn't be complete for Brad without a Dirty Martini & Porterhouse Steak.

Happy Birthday to my better half, my rock, my handyman, my best friend, my everything. Cheers to 34 more years and then some. Love your guts :)

Jazzin at the Shedd

During July & August, the Shedd Aquarium stays open on Wednesday nights for Jazzin' at the Shedd. It is a super fun way to see all the exhibits in the Shedd, listen to some live music, and enjoy a cocktail while looking at things that swim!

Some of my fave pics from the Shedd that night were from the Jellies exhibit.

The night wraps up with the Navy Pier firework show that you can see from the terrace of the Shedd. What a great view of the city!

God Bless Reese

Photo Slideshow of Reese's Christening

This slideshow design made with Smilebox

365: Week 27

You're still not 30?

I can't tell you how many times some of my friends and family have teased me that "You're still not 30 yet?" I laugh but turning 29 this year makes me think I need to enjoy this last year in my 20's as much as I can. Growing up, my family always deemed the days surrounding our birthday as our "Birthday Week." Celebrating your birthday over a whole week included special requests for dinner, special activities, and deciding where to go eat on your actual birthday for dinner. In honor of the start of my last year in my 20's, I did some celebrating all week. On Thursday, I was surprised at work by cupcakes and flowers and a trip out to lunch all courtesy of my awesome co-workers. Thursday evening, I was treated to dinner at Adobo Grill by Kristin & Tichiya. I took the day off on Friday to relax and get ready for the rest of the festivities planned for the weekend. On Friday, my parents treated me to a massage as part of my gift. Brad is the King of Early Gift giving, so he gave me my gift on Friday afternoon. I got a remote for my camera. So now I don't have to run into pictures after setting up the tripod! Hard to believe that I got my camera for my birthday last year. I didn't even know about remotes at that time and now I'm a total photog geek.

On Friday night, I had some work friends over to kick off the weekend in true birthday style.

On my actual birthday, I spent the day fielding birthday phone calls, texts, emails, and Facebook messages. I had a smile on my face all day.

Lots of great cards from friends & family. Brad would say that he always gets the best cards. His favorite are the ones that sing songs.

Not a bad way to start my 29th year...

It's all about the Nookie

My niece Alex has an awesome window seat nook in her bedroom and I've always had visions of her sitting there when she is a little older reading a book, talking on the phone, or looking out the window waiting for her friends to come over. I jumped at the chance to make her a custom bench seat to make it even more inviting. Here are a few pics of the process.

Brad & I made these pillows with a few pink & brown fabrics that I have accumulated from the various other items I have made for Alex's room. They each are made of 2 different fabrics so she can flip them over for a different look.

The finished product - It was a hit!

365: Week 26

1/2 way thru the year - July 2nd @ 12 noon