Flint Hills Photo Shoot

This past weekend dad and I explored the Flint Hills in Kansas on a photo trip with our local camera store.

There was rain in the forecast for the entire weekend.  Luckily it didn't rain on Saturday and we got some interesting clouds though out the day.

They brought some extra equipment and I got to play with a 10-22mm lens.  This is the widest lens I've used and I really liked it.  Which is strange, because I'm usually drawn to close up/macro shots.  Looks like I have another lens on my wish list.

We also played with filters.  In this shot we used a neutral density filter which darkened the shot and allowed us to pick up the motion in the windmill.

After dinner we went back out to capture the motion in water and work on some night photography.

The night photography was probably my favorite part of the trip.  It looks like a sunset is occurring in this photo, but in fact, it was pitch black outside.  The light on the horizon is the glow from the city.  I opened the shutter for 15-20 seconds and our instructor lit up the church with a flashlight.  This was the end result.  SO COOL!!!

I loved capturing the stars.  I definitely want to explore this a little more and see what kind of photos I can capture.

We were going to get up at 5am the next morning to shoot the sunrise and get morning shots in the prairie, but the storms finally came and we were greeted with thunderstorms instead.  Sunrise photos are definitely going on my bucket list.

This trip was awesome and I learned so much!  I hope I can apply what I learned into my regular documenting.

Around Here

^^ Easter was great.
^^ Celebrating mom's birthday was even better.
^^ My allergies are something fierce this week.
^^ Spending a lot of time on the sofa to recover from said allergies.
^^ Catching up on Grey's Anatomy and started Mixology.
^^ Still need to catch up on Glee.
^^ Booked a week long trip to the beach in Texas in September.
^^ Looking forward to spending the weekend with dad on a photography trip.


Did I mention my allergies are horrible right now?!  And I'm going to be outside a lot this weekend....

Happy weekend friends!

Cake Making

Week Sixteen

April 19, 2014

Dad helping me make mom's cake.

Currently

Savoring all the moments that have happened in the last few weeks.
Soaking in the sun filled days.
Enjoying the longer days and extra sunshine.
Finding pops of spring around town.
Listening to more Ed Sheeran - can't get enough of his music.
Wanting to see a movie in the theater soon.  Haven't done that in a long time.
Planning a summer bucket list.
Happy I finally opened my Silhouette machine and put it to use and
Wondering why I didn't do this sooner.
Getting through the week days slowly.
Loving the weekends and time away from work.
Wishing my momma a very happy birthday!
Celebrating her life and that I get to be a part of it.
Looking forward to putting my One Little Word actions to use and going to two shows next month.
Incredibly excited to go on a photography trip next weekend, just me and my dad.

Happy Birthday Mom

The one who understands me when I don't even mutter a word.

The one who celebrates my every accomplishment.

The one who I can't go a day without talking to.

The one who hears all my fears.
The one who is by my side.

The one who is my best friend.

Happy Birthday mom.
Thank you for always being there for me.
I love you!

Liberty Memorial

Week Fifteen

April 12, 2014

On top of Liberty Memorial, over looking Kansas City.

12of12 | April 2014

01.  Good morning Mr. Rory.
02.  Having some fun with the reflection on Dakota's sunglasses while we drive to KC.
03.  I found a restaurant that serves their food by train car and knew we had to take dad.  The restaurant was full of kids and dad was not quite as amused, but it was a fun moment.
04.  Getting our food.
05.  Dakota and I got hats too, of course.
06.  After lunch we went to the World War I Museum.
07.  The Kansas City skyline.
08.  D & M.
09.  The four of us at the museum.  It was incredibly windy today.
10.  Scenes from WWI.
11.  Tank.
12.  Came home and had dinner at Chipotle.

Around Here

So enjoying my #100happydays project.  

So looking forward to this weekend and having a fun 12of12 day planned. 

So happy to mark a 101 item off this weekend as well.  

So curious about a restaurant we are taking dad to this weekend.  They serve the food from a toy train.

So glad it is the weekend.  I live for these two, very short days.

Project Life 2014 | Week 9-13

Week nine.  This was another not so good week for me work wise.  Lost of stress so I didn't document very much.  Mom and dad went to KC for a dentist appointment and found a train store on the way home.  Dad was happy :)  Due to my stressful week, I bought a new iPad Mini, totally spur of the moment.  But I will say, it was time for a new one because my old iPad wouldn't update anymore and would quit apps unexpectedly all the time.  Rory also stayed the week at our house while Dakota was in San Diego for work.  Let me tell you, it was quite the experience getting Rory and Abby to get along.  (Abby wanted to play and Rory wanted nothing to do with her.)  This week actually isn't complete.  I have more journaling about my bad week behind the text pocket.  I plan on making another pocket like I did in week 2 so you can read the story much easier.

 

 

I went to Las Vegas during week 10.  So much fun.  You can see more here. 

I also added 2 6x12 inserts.  Mostly to share more photos.  But I also added some text of things I want to remember about this trip.

Week 11 was slow and getting back into regular life routine.  I had my monthly dinner date with my high school girls friends.  And Dakota and I cleaned out all the leaves in his back yard.  (The front yard was done the following week.)

I managed to get some more current everyday things.  I added a journal card about things that happened on 1 particular day -- for me, it was March 20th, which also happened to be the first day of spring.  

Week 13 was a whirlwind of seasons.  At the beginning of the week we and snow and by the end of the week it definitely felt like spring was here.  This week mom and I began our #100happydays project on instagram.  (You can follow me at trulymegs and mom at jillbails.)  I'm really enjoying this project and can't wait to see all the photos together when it's done.  Don't worry, I'll share on here too.

For my Dad

Week Fourteen

March 31, 2014

The school mom works at held a fundraiser to raise money for cancer research. They raised $1500 and the money is going to Multiple Myeloma Research in honor of my dad.

OLW March Goals

Instead of setting intentions for the year, I am setting 3 goals to accomplish each month.  Goals that will create moments.  Goals that are attainable.  Goals that are things I need to get done.  Goals that will make me a better person. 

1.  Go to Las Vegas and see a Cirque de Soleil show | Went at the beginning of the month.  Absolutely amazing.  I'm so ready to see more shows in Vegas.  
2.  Have a good workout 2 times a week | Didn't happen at all.  Hopefully this will change once the warm weather decides to stay.
3.  Get the Bailey family photos in a scrapbook | This didn't happen either.... but my Vegas book is complete.

So, I didn't do nearly as well as I thought I would.  I find it to be a very big let down when I don't complete tasks.  And even more so when I can't even accomplish 3 things for the entire month.  However, on the upside I did complete two more items on my 101 list.  That is life I guess.  On to April.

April Goals:
1.  Get the Bailey family photos in a scrapbook.   (This is something that has to be done this year.)
2.  Clean my room and set up a cleaning schedule and stick with it.
3.  Go on a photography photo trip with my dad.

Around Here

It is finally semi warm here in Missouri and I absolutely love it!  (Except, I could do without the allergies that come in the spring.)  I think Abby is enjoying it too because she is taking full advantage of car rides again.

I am still humbled by the generosity of mom's employer.  They did such a simple act and I will never forget it.  Thank you for standing with us and fighting an awful thing called cancer!

I'm finally getting caught up on my project life pages and will have an updated for you next week.  I also have finished my Vegas scrapbook too.  My room may look like a tornado went off in it, but it feels so good to be caught up in memory keeping.

I am so excited for this month!  So much fun and life living moments.  This weekend my friend Mallory is coming to visit.  She lives far far away and I can't wait to spend the day with her!

Happy Weekend!

Fundraiser for Multiple Myeloma

The school mom works at held a fundraiser called Pennies for Patients.  This year the money went to the Multiple Myeloma Research in honor of my dad.  For two weeks, the kids donated money, gave up their allowance, and shared spare change.  At the end of the two weeks, their total came to $1500!

To motivate the kids, the faculty had a competition.  Each team (the school is made up of 4 teams) volunteered one teacher to shave their head if their team won.  There was a tie, so two teachers got their head shaved.  One of the teachers was the teacher mom works with in their special education class.

We are very close with mom's teacher and we have a mutual love for each other's families.  (I was there when their son was born and took maternity, birth, and newborn photos for them.)

We are completely humbled by this school's generosity and are so incredibly thankful to have these people in our lives.

At the Park

Week Thirteen

March 29, 2014

A warm day at the park with my momma and pup.