Morning stroll

I just have to say that I love my job, but I also LOVE my days off of work! I really have the best of both worlds right now and I am so grateful for that. This morning was the first time in a while that we had nothing going on with the exception of our tri-weekly trip to the grocery store (I am not very organized when it comes to efficient and well-planned grocery shopping). With the weather teetering on the edge of summer, we've been trying to soak up the outdoors as much as possible. On this morning's stroll I lugged the camera along with two dogs, bubbles, a magnifying glass and a small child along with every flower, stick and stone that she found along the way and just had to keep.






I planted the bulbs below in our courtyard when we first moved into the house. I probably got them from the dollar store for all I know. I forget about them every year, but then, every spring they pop up and surprise me all over again. I just discovered them all this morning (shows how often I use the front door)! What a gorgeous surprise! Three of them have now sacrificed their lives to sit in water on my kitchen table. :)

This and That

As I try to catch up, here are just a few random photos from the past month.


Let's see, first is the cheesecake I decorated for Marshal's birthday. I got a friend of his from work to help me surprise him for lunch. I took the day off and Quincy and I arranged to show up at lunch while he was out with co-workers. It actually worked making it numero dos on the surprise list! Yay me! It was actually pretty funny because I swear he was checking me out in the parking lot before he realized it was me and Q! (He'll never admit it though!)



Here is Quincy on a play date with her BFF (okay, so it's really a love-hate thing at most times) :) We had a wonderful few hours with our girlfriends (Alex & Cora) on a gorgeous day at the park.


Lastly, I had to capture a memory of our front yard in all its glory! We recently had our lawn in front and back ripped out to have new sod laid out. This is probably the best the yard will ever look so we had to get a photo.

Reunited!

Whew! My mom has 5 siblings and on the rare occasion they are all together, things get chaotic to say the least! For the first time since our wedding, the whole family was together again. It has been a very chaotic and busy couple weeks with extended family members arriving and departing in shifts but it was a blast. The Clark family sure knows how to party. Seems like there was a party every night!

Marshal had to work like a "normal" person, but Quincy and I managed to get time off during the week to head to the west side several times to hang with the fam. It was so great being able to "meet" relatives that I haven't seen since I was a kid. Thanks to everyone for the fun times and great memories. We paused to snap some photos in the midst of the craziness!

Somehow I got roped in to being the "photographer" here. Because I do it as a hobby, not a professional, I can't be held liable for all the missing people in the group :) Sorry everyone. It was a lot of pressure and the Clarks aren't exactly easy to direct since you are ALL busy talking ALL the time ;)! Getting over 20 people to stand in a group for even a minute is a challenge. Let's see, the only person completely covered up seems to be Gil. Sorry about that Gil!













Here are all the partners in crime!


Apparently, they will never grow up.

Ostrich Festival 2010

Wow, life has been BUSY and I haven't had time to even think about the blog in a while. We have been keeping plenty occupied with family, friends work and play and there is lots to share... soon...but for now, I want to at least get one set of photos up!

We went to the Ostrich Festival again this year and had so much fun. I love that there is such a cool event right around the corner every year. Festivals are my favorite—corn dogs, lemonade, crowds, animals, music, rides... I could go on! The weather was beautiful (okay, a little on the warm side) and the company was superb. Grammy and Papa came out with Uncle Tom & Aunt Sibyl. Here are just a few photos to document the day. Quincy's favorite was probably the carousel. She was begging to ride it all day.



LOVE this picture. Maybe my favorite of all time.



I'm such a sucker. Ran across this parasol at one of the vendors' booths and had to get it for some pics.



This photo makes me a bit sad. She looks so big here. :(