Sisters

I have brothers...sigh....3 big brothers. So there is some consolation in being the baby but when I do sittings like this it makes me sort of sad. I don't feel it as much when the siblings are little but when they are older and friends, comrades, sounding boards...then it makes me really wish I had a sister..

baby quilt done!

Ahhh January! I'm home now and actually glad for it. Or at least not as traumatized by the cold as I thought I might be. My whole plan for vacation was to get so bored that I wanted to come home and tackle my to-do list. I didn't get bored but I did get relaxed and reinvigorated and excited to come home. First on my list was to finish up the quilts I started for my friend who had twins...they were almost 2 months early...totally catching me by surprise and making it completely impossible to get them done in the mad holiday rush. I love love love how they turned out and imagine them being well loved and well used...


It sort of looks like the wizard of oz...like marci got squished by the falling quilts...

Now to tackle the rest of the list...maybe I should finish those Christmas presents....

Where you been?

I feel like I left so unceremoniously...I always have the best intentions when I come to Hawaii...I'll do a bit of work in the morning, maybe bring the laptop outside...I even brought Ari's birthday party photos and family Christmas photos to sort through and make pretty and now look at me...my last day and I'm finally, lethargically pulling out the computer and sorting through photos.

I'm afraid the trip has been a lot of this...eating out with the parents and an afternoon beer...is that so wrong?


We did make a side trip to Lanai where I learned valuable vacation lessons. Motion sickness pills plus a glass of wine at lunch can make you really really sleepy...rain in the afternoon can make you really really sleepy...walking around beautiful grounds can make you....

And I learned that I'm not so good at put put although the general consensus was that I didn't apply myself...maybe I was just really really sleepy...

I'm working on my book...My Vacation Meals...sure to be a best seller quickly followed by Random Vacation Portraits and My Feet on Vacation...

My cousins engagement

You know what's great about South Dakota...lots and lots of cornfields. What's great about family? They do what you ask (usually!). My cousin is getting married this year so while I was home for the holidays we did some engagement photos. So darn cute! She's a bit younger than me so we didn't really come up together and it was great to be able to hang out and get to know each other a bit better!

Hanging with the boys

I went from an all girls week in Sioux Falls to hanging with my best childhood friend and her adorably cute, polite, sweet boys in Minneapolis over New Years (don't worry, they've got a little sass in them too...). You think it's cold and snowy in Seattle...Seattle doesn't have anything on the Midwest. Face freezing, bone chilling cold. Which made photos a challenge...it's hard to see kids spirits in snowsuits, boots, hats and mittens. DeAnna had a plan though. Minneapolis has a great downtown library. Big, open, kid friendly. I've been really wanting to shoot in the library in Seattle...this was good practice!

Um, yeah, or you could show me the other eye...

Tom's hiding under the table to have his snack in case the "manager" comes to get mad at us. Oh buddy...it's going to be okay...

You know what the best part of the visit was...realizing that my friend, who I knew was a good mom, was actually a really really great mom. You might luck out and get one sweet, nice kid, but to get two takes real work and dedication...