i {heart} faces "Red"

When I heard the challenge theme this week for i♥faces was RED I immediately thought of a fabulous pair of red Converse. But obviously we need faces, so of course I had to show those red Converse in action!




Besides the month of love, red is in honor of Go Red For Women. As I pointed out in my Valentine post yesterday, this is a subject close to me and I was forced into learning a great deal about it last year, particularly due to the hereditary aspect of heart disease.


Check out i♥faces for more red entries!

L.O.V.E.

In honor of Valentine's Day, what show's love more than being there for each other through the test of time? My parents have been married for nearly 31 years and while visiting this Christmas they had a special request for me.

Here is an edited scanned picture from their wedding day:


We didn't have the wedding picture at the time, and they couldn't remember the exact arrangement, but here was the result of their special request:


This is all the more important to me (and my Mom!) at this time of year because my Daddy almost didn't make it to his 30th anniversary. This time last year I was with my parents in the wake of Dad having a major heart attck, emergent quadruple bipass and valve replacement, followed by another major and a few lesser heart attacks. His survival was very unsure. A year later and his health and recovery has been truely remarkable, astounding all of his doctors. Here my parents are in the cardiac ICU enjoying some old pictures that were coincidentally dropped off at home by a childhood friend of Dad's who didn't know he was in the hospital and hadn't seen him in years. Crazy timing, huh! I think my parents' love is palpable in this picture.

Bellevue Botanical Gardens

Last weekend I had the opportunity to spend a lovely few days in Bellevue, WA with my husband. Gettaways are so nice! Here are some pictures from the Bellevue Botanical Gardens that I miraculously captured in between the nearly constant drizzle.

I found this bronze toad at the beginning and fell in love


Do you think he was once a Prince?






Considering the time of year I was visiting the Gardens, there obviously wasn't a ton of color going on,
but these new leaves that looked more like feelers were a shocking neon yellow-green.






Did I say there was no color? Well, I lied.


But there will be more color in the coming months!


I did find one tree that had already managed a few blossoms

But mostly it was still in bud not bloom


If I haven't made it clear enough, let me say it again, I LOVE nature.

More from Bellevue to come.

Superbowl

Go Pack Go!

i {heart} faces "Innocent Wonder"

I also think of this picture as "Love At First Sight."

This week's i♥faces challenge is Innocent Wonder and this picture absolutely captures that for me. This was when my eldest boy very first laid eyes on his newest baby brother. He was captivated with awe and full of love and tenderness.



Check out i♥faces for more entries in this week's challenge

Winter Wonderland | Landscape Photography

Between Christmas and New Year's we visited my family in Spokane, WA. We had a great time and I enjoyed one morning taking pictures of everything freshly turned to a winter wonderland. Since it rarely snows like this in Salem, I was more than happy to take advantage of this timely snowstorm!

Here are several pictures from my morning photographing the snowscapes and some from our drive home the next day.




















A shot of red in a white land

i {heart} faces "Smile"

I'm shocked at how long it's been since I last participated in an i♥faces challenge! Not for not wanting to, I've actually had pictures prepared for some of the missed themes and even a draft ready to publish for "sillhouette" but somehow Monday and Tuesday come along and I'm swamped and it just doesn't happen!

Finally, I have a post for this week's theme, Smile. This is definitely one of my favorite smile photos. It makes me want to laugh right along with him!



Check out i♥faces for more entries in this week's challenge

O Family | Sublimity OR Family Photography

I knew I would have fun with this family when Sarah first contacted me. They were having an early Christmas with her in-laws and wanted to surprise them with a photoshoot that day for their Christmas present! Such a fun gift idea! We met up that afternoon and the rain even (mostly) cooperated!

No singing here, but we did have Swingin' In The Rain!

Merry Christmas Cecil and Jody!

Thanks for letting me be part of your Christmas day O Family!