relaxin'

monday was spent doing just about absolutely nothing..

my flight didn't go out until 7:40pm.. so we basically just relaxed & hung out all day long.. it was so nice !!

amy took some of these photos for me & derrick.. as well as this beautiful self-portrait - do i hear a facebook profile picture calling ??

so after spending all weekend long and countless hours sitting on the swing on the porch - which turned out to be very hard & very uncomfortable.. i broke down and pulled out the hammock.. which - as usual.. i put it up.. and it was instantly taken over & i wasn't even able to sit on it !!

aw.. 2 of my favorite people.. i miss you both soo much !!

so.. they did finally let me on the hammock.. it totally beat sitting on that hard swing ! derrick & i basically spent the rest of the day chillin' there..

of course we were never alone.. this little lady was severely cutting into my man time.. i think she loves him almost as much as i do :)

best friends

sunday was a bit of a long day.. derrick & i got up and went to the 9-10 service at FBC.. and then left and went over to Calvary Assembly for their 10:30 service.. after which we went to Jioios for lunch with Pastor Todd, his family, and a few other people from the church..

but the only thing i was looking forward to the whole day was spending the afternoon with naomi & paul !!

i haven't seen my best friend since january.. it felt like it had been forever & so many things had changed since i saw her last : naomi & paul are now living in a bigger & better apartment.. their one year wedding anniversery had come & gone.. oh and the big change is the next addition to the abbey family is going to be born in october !!

but spending time with them was so comfortable - almost like i had never left & it had only been a few days since i'd seen them last.. i miss naomi so much & can't wait to go home just so i can see her all the time & become so annoying because i'm always at their house :)

i think we make a cute family.. what do you think ?

62nd annual family reunion

so this year.. i surprised my family by showing up the weekend of our annual family reunion.. everyone [well.. most everyone] assumed that this would be the first year i would miss it since i was in Florida.. but when i bought my tickets to come home i just had to tell someone.. so i told my sisters ellen & amy.. of course derrick & naomi were also told as we concocted a way for me to get home surprising my other family.. my mom - never surprised by anything actually figured it out before i arrived.. but was not 100% sure i was coming.. but she had a pretty good idea :)

as you'll notice from the photos - there really wasn't a huge turnout.. in fact very very few people showed up.. as evidenced by the difference between last year's family reunion photo & this year's ::

it was a nice relaxing day for me tho'.. to just hang out with my family & derrick and not have to worry TOO much about all the people around that i didn't know..

some good 'ole jumping photos :)

ruby was so cute.. she ended up wearing her bathing suit most of the day because when she got up and needed to get dressed - derrick was still asleep in her bedroom.. she didn't really care tho'..

my second shooter & right-hand man :)

just like last year.. daddy loaded us all into the back of the blue truck to take us for a ride around the yard.. it seems to be turning into a tradition :)

everyone lined up to be dropped down..

literally.. dropped :) love everyone's expressions !! especially amy & ruby's !! haha

speed racer :) i was experimenting with a new idea.. this is the only photo i got that actually turned out kinda cool.. all the others flopped.. oh well.. i need to work on it :)

buzzy-dog..

playing baseball before we ate lunch..

a nice moment between brothers :)

eli was ready to play :)

sister love !

zeb looking all country boy in those glasses & that hat :)

the three musketeers ! they're all getting so big !

daddy & his baby girl :)

from the air

friday morning i was up wayy before the crack of dawn & at the airport anxiously awaiting my flight home for the weekend surprise to my family :)

i love to fly in the morning -- especially around 6am [when i was in the air] : because watching the sunrise from 35,000 feet is INCREDIBLE.. and i was lucky enough to get a window seat - i was so excited !

that was.. until i realized which side of the plane i was sitting on - the west side : GRR..

oh well.. the clouds were still very pretty.. but i missed watching the sunrise *sigh* mental note : notice which side of the plane you are sitting on !!

requests

what crazy things we do to give away shifts at work :) all to keep our record cards clean & management happy :)

hey.. if it works ? yes i'll spend the good part of my break making a sign that says i need to give away a shift so i can go home for the weekend without calling in :)

saying goodbye

meet michelle ::

today was our manager michelle's last day as a Disney Photo Imaging manager :(

as a special surprise for her.. the leaders pulled every single photographer from the park and gathered us all in a conference room in order to surprise michelle :) so if you were at typhoon lagoon and could not find a single photographer around noon ? yeah.. that's because we were all sitting down in an air conditioned conference room to hang out with one of our favorite managers before she leaves :)

michelle & randy - another favorite manager :)

haha & yes we had a cake to celebrate :)

it really was beautiful -- and tasted AMAZING :)

oh & we got a visit from lilo :) DPI is very close with the characters & their attendants at the water parks.. simply because we work so closely with them all the time..

we're going to miss michelle so much !! she was an incredible manager.. always looking out for her cast & helping us in any way that she could.. but now she's moving on to bigger & better things with disney :)

beach

today was absolutely GORGEOUS.. it was the perfect day to be outside -- blue skies with big white puffy clouds.. a slight breeze.. and temps in the low 90s.. it was bEUtiful..

around 3pm tho' was gorgeous & i was so excited that i was going to leave work - go home & grab my camera - and go out and shoot something..

too bad that it didn't hold out.. by the end of the day a few rain clouds had moved in & kicked all the beautifulness out..

but while i was standing at crush & gusher left.. i was talking to dee.. and we started talking about the beach -- oh i know how it started.. it was around 6:30 and the rain clouds had parted just enough to let some amazing golden light down.. it was soo yummy - i wanted to gobble it all up :) or at least.. put it in my pocket to let out later on when i WANTED some delicious golden sunlight..

and so i had to comment on it.. and dee said that yes it was nice.. but her favorite light was sunrise on the beach.. and so we started talking about the beach -- and now i really really want to go to the beach & watch the sunrise.. i'll have to do that on one of my days off since i won't be living so close to the beach for much longer :)

rain

i had big plans to go out & shoot something tonight after i got home from work .. but after working a grand total of 3 hours.. a storm rolled into the orlando area and decided to never leave.. so it is still kinda raining.. and as it turned out.. i almost DID have 4 hours for my "lunch" today :) i worked for 3 and then did not much of anything the remaining time i spent at work.. ah i love my job :)

sunset

the sunset was gorgeous tonight -- i was walking home from returning some DVDs to the clubhouse that i had rented & couldn't resist grabbing my camera and snapping some shots :)

plus it felt wonderful to actually handle MY camera again :)

happy father's day !

so.. all day long today at work.. when i was talking to families - i would ask the little kids if they knew what today was.. and for the most part everyone knew that today was father's day :) and then of course i would ask them if they told their daddies how absolutely stupendous & wonderful they were & how they have the best daddy in the world.. and the little kids would always look up at me with this silly grin on their faces like "yeahhh" and i would always counter their smiles with "oh silly of course you didn't say that.. because *i* have the best daddy in the world" and they would always giggle and disagree :)

but i have to say.. i have the best daddy in the world..

i don't know how anyone could ask for a better father than the one i have.. ever since i was little i always knew i had the most amazing daddy out there & still am very proud of that fact :)

he's been the most amazing role model & friend that any daughter could ask for.. and i know i speak for all my sisters [and brother] when i say that..

my dad has been there for me through everything.. from the times when i was little and i would go to my dad over my mom every time i needed to ask for something [because i knew dad was more likely to give me what i wanted :)] .. to the times when i needed a big hug and someone's shoulder to cry - on regarding everything from puppies dying on christmas eve to broken relationships..

my daddy is a very wise man.. and he knows what he is doing.. some people may think he's a little crazy.. maybe a little too demanding with his kids.. maybe a little too protective.. but.. he knows what he's doing.. and is truly the best daddy in the world :)

i love you daddy !!

new day

so yes.. i have been a very bad blogger these last few months..

its not that i haven't taken any photos..

its just that i have put off actually blogging them..

tsk tsk.. i know.. i know : i promised when i came down to FL that i would blog photos all the time so everyone back home would know what i was up to - and i kept that promise - well.. not really.. but i had every intention of keeping that promise ! i just figured .. if i could keep up a blog at home.. then i would also keep up my blog in FL..

nope.. wrong..

but now.. i've decided to start anew.. and with a new challenge ::

blog one photo a day for a month

&& i'm not allowing myself to use OLD photos [unless of course i have a good reason to]

so that means.. i'll be forcing myself to actually pick up MY camera OUTSIDE of work and shoot some images :)

one a day for a month.. and it starts today.. we'll see if i can do this :)