Another One Bites The Dust

I went kayaking yesterday over in New Smyrna. I got into my kayak with a working camera, and got out with a broken one. I was brave to bring it along, but figured I would take the chance and hope that nature's elements wouldn't work against me taking pictures. I was wrong. My camera was soaked by the time the first few waves poured into the kayak. Anyway, I'm on the search for a new camera. I'll let you know what I find.

Hair

He wants to keep it growing!!

Mother's Day

Tyler and I went down to Fort Myers to visit the family for Mother's day weekend. Steve had to work all weekend, so I decided to travel instead of staying home. We woke up early Saturday around six -thirty and were on the road a little after seven. We arrived at my mom's house around eleven. We had our usual greeting of hugs and kisses, seeing how we hadn't seen each other since January. Afterward, I called my brother Jason and my brother Adam to let them know I was in town. Within the first half hour of talking and planning we agreed to spend the day at the beach. It was great to see everyone. My nieces and nephew are so cute, and have grown so much. We talked and caught up with one another. Soon afterward, it was time to play some beach football. Before you knew it we were jumping all over the place and each other. I ended up winning the game for my team (Me, Jason, Shawn) by intercepting the ball from the other team (Adam, Shani, Tyler) and making a touch down! The beach and the game were so much fun, but it made us tired and hungry. This meant it was time for some Mexican food! We all got cleaned up and went to Jason's for some grilled chicken, fajita steaks, lemon corn tortillas, and homemade salsa. The food was gone in no time with little leftovers. I didn't want my time to end, but Ty and I had to rest up so we could visit more family in the morning. Ty and I said our goodbyes and went to my Mom's house to spend the night. Sunday morning we woke up and had a nice breakfast with my mom, then packed up the truck. We said goodbye to Ma, and told her we would be back in July. We left excited, because we were going to go make a surprise visit at Ed and Sue's. They didn't know we were in town. But first, we had to stop and pick up some flowers for Sue. It was great to see her face when she opened the door to see Ty standing there with her flowers. They couldn't get over how much Ty had grown. We sat around and talked for a bit. I wish our visit could have lasted longer, but it was getting late and we had to head on home. It will be nice when all three of us go down to visit in July (plus celebrate ten years of marriage). For now, here are a few pictures of the kids at the beach.

Ty and Josiah

Rosa
Baby Lilliana

On The Go

Tyler started soccer a few weeks ago, which means I've been on the go. I bring him to soccer practice twice a week and then to his games on the weekends. Here are a few pictures of him in action.This is Ty and his good friend Shivam. They have hung out together since the 6Th grade. Ty's team has won all their games so far. I'm crossing my fingers that they keep up this winning streak!

Blue Springs

We took a trip to Blue Springs State Park yesterday. Blue Springs State Park is along the St. Johns River near Orange City here in central Florida. I heard that the springs provide a safe warm water refuge for manatees during the winter time, so it would be a great time to go and check them out.

This mother and her calf came really close, and we were pretty lucky to get this picture. They were only a foot away from reach, not that I was going to reach out to touch them. Most of the manatees kept a distance and stayed on the other side of the spring. It was an absolutely beautiful and serene place to visit. We wanted to dip our feet in the water, but swimming wasn't permitted at the time because of the manatees. We really enjoyed our time together and the beautiful weather. We hope to visit again sometime soon and go kayaking.

Black & White

Ma & Lilliana

Me & "Bean"

I was playing with some of the photos I took during our trip to Fort Myers last week. I love black & white photos. I think it gives a picture more of a dramatic feel, or the sense of capturing the feeling in that particular moment. I remember falling in love with black & white prints when I took my first photography class years ago. I loved working in the dark rooms, and developing my own film and printing my own pictures. Anyway, here are a few pictures I converted to black& white and sepia.

Ty, Grandma Sue, & Grandpa Ed

Happy New Year

Last night we went to the Daytona Beach Ocean Walk to watch fireworks for the new year.
We all look pretty silly, but we were trying to endure the chilly ocean winds coming at us in full force.
We walked around for a bit after the show. We saw some of the sand sculptures they had on display.
It was a really nice night. I thought about what this new year will bring. What ever may be, I'm excited to see what the future holds. I wish for peace and happiness for all my loved ones. Happy New Year!