macro fun

we went to hong kong for our honeymoon

cheap electronics which made sean like a kid in a candy store

we picked up a new lens for our camera

it was a wide angle lens so i bust it out now and then for scenery pics

one day recently i actually looked at the lens

and noticed there was a macro lens attached to it

that i could remove from the wide angle

so i played around with it

i have no idea how to use a macro lens

should probably read about it

but i haven't

these are my favorites i got

i still need to figure out why there is a macro lens attached to a wide angle

seems strange to me

and the wide angle doesn't fit without the macro

guess i need to read about this lens in general

guess i will do that when i research which lens i want for christmas (hint, hint sean!)

what's your favorite lens?

insta-friday

here's a look into this past week via my cell phone:

last weekend was spent getting camp all closed up
which meant the saddest part - the sinking of the dock

last weekend i started noticing more trees wearing their beautiful fall colors

positive - duke is small and doesn't eat a lot and it takes him a long time to get through a bag of food
negative - having to make a trip to the "duke store" to buy a new bag this close to having to pack up and head to texas
since there were some ruined things from the trek north and the duke food spill of the century
hopefully that doesn't happen again

this did not feel like fall in maine (oops probably shouldn't have been driving and taking a picture - just pretend that orange line is pointing at the zero)

fall is the absolute best time to fly - what a view (even with a crooked horizon)
oops again - probably wasn't supposed to have electronics on

passing the time on the flight...

favorite place to blog on a 3 hour layover...

so intrigued when i found this in the cafeteria i just had to get it
don't you just love the name?

returned to maine to all the trees in their full fall glory
can't wait to hit acadia this weekend
and enjoy some time with our final visitors to maine for the season!

how was your week?

ramblings

the days are getting shorter
and the temps are getting colder
which can only mean one thing...

we're about to head back to texas!

we have one last group of visitors this weekend/week
for marathon-ing (not me but i plan to be a good cheerer-oner with a nice hot cocoa in my hands)
and leaf peeping

it will be sad to leave maine, but overdue
i miss my texas friends and can't wait to see them again
and get back to things i just haven't found in maine
like a good eyebrow lady and massage envy
and cheap pedicures
which is sad that they aren't in maine since i'm more likely to get them done in the summer
except for all that tubing which destroyed any chance of a pedicure lasting

speaking of lasting...
i wish the morning fog over the lake lasted longer into the day
i just can't get up that early
at least my honey can and takes some pics for me
isn't this an awesome picture?!?!

we turned off our tv in maine earlier this summer cuz we never watch it
but i've been in tampa again for work again
did you know ann curry took over on the today show?
and there are crazy coupon people that buy thousand bucks of groceries for 10 bucks?
and there's been enough episodes of storage wars to warrant a marathon?
and intervention has been on long enough to do follow-ups years later?
they still relapse - maybe proof you can't force someone to clean up their act - they need to decide for themselves?

speaking of cleaning up your act...
why can't people get jobs, earn their own money and buy things the decent way?
why do they need to steal other people's credit cards to buy stuff?

and speaking of buying stuff...
the question was asked how i broke two pairs of shoes in one trip
actually they were both broke before i arrived in tampa last week i just didn't realize it
one pair was cute multi-colored, short heels that i would always get so many compliments on
well the thick strap that held your foot in had come loose from the sole on a previous trip
and yet i took them back home
not this time, they're in a landfill in tampa by now
the other pair had lost the tip of the heel at some point where i had to keep walking on it
so there was no replacing the heel since the screw was worn all the way down

if you travel a lot the club lounges are awesome
especially with a 3 hour layover
free booze and snacks - how can you go wrong?!?!
maybe as for the ramblings...

so with that i will bid you all a good night!

insta-friday (on saturday)

work trip to tampa - no upgrade, but at least an exit row

crazy tunnel when making my connection - only a few more weeks and then it's back to non-stop trips

"are you ready for some football - it's a monday night party"

50th bday party/bbq for a work peep

boys in charge of cutting the cake

new shoes out of necessity - those of you that know me are thinking "yea, right" but it's true.  both pair of shoes i took on my work trip were broken and didn't come home with me.

changing tides

Things in life change regularly:

• jobs come and go
• the tide comes in and out
• responsibilities increase
• facebook adds features to "make your life better"
• relationships come and go
• technology moves faster than we can keep up with
• the trees purge their leaves for the winter

some changes are cyclical and, therefore predictable
some you can feel approaching but try to pretend isn't
some pop up unexpectedly

trying to fight it doesn't work
complaining about it doesn't get you anywhere and doesn't change it back
the only thing you can do is learn from it and adapt

as the ocean pounding away at the rock transforms them to make the water flow more freely
changes in our lives shape us to allow God to flow more freely

beautiful things come from adversity - just look around you
are you enjoying the ride and allowing God's love to consume you?
i'm definitely trying to but fall short time and time again
but that doesn't stop me from continuing to try

remember, life's too short to fret the changes
besides, there will just be more tomorrow...

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All pictures were taken near the Fundy Trail in New Brunswick, Canada.  This area has the most dramatic tide differentials in all the world!  The first four pictures were taken in the same exact spot near high tide and low tide on the same day.  BREATHTAKING! 

birthday month celebration la fin

The birthday month celebration has come and gone.  It was a great time of focusing on myself and taking the time to do things I wanted.  If you've never tried this, I recommend it - but I tell you first hand, it's hard!

So maybe taking an entire month isn't feasible for everyone - so try a week, or even a weekend.  We're not talking a lot of time here.  Some things only took an hour, max.  Come on - give it a try - you know you want to!

So here's the low-down on the last days of the birthday month celebration.

day 22: movie night with the honey
day 23: improv
day 24: picking more apples, making applesauce, dinner with friends
day 25: painting on the dock to the sounds of nature
day 26: phone time with friends
day 27: reading magazines on the dock
day 28: ancestry researching
day 29: more ancestry researching
day 30: Pampered Chef party!

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For those of you wondering, the hubs is getting better at the birthday thing!

First year we were married - not so much as a card.

This year (a mere two years later), I received a rose bush on my actual birthday that we'll plant in our new flowerbeds (pics coming soon), breakfast in bed (yum....munchkins!), an actual cooked breakfast that he made himself, going on various of the adventures with me, helping make a particular day turn out even when I screwed it up, taking a road trip (even if I did have to plan it myself).  I'm sure there's more...