Happy Mother’s Day!

I should be sleeping, but while it’s still Mother’s Day, I wanted to post a picture of me and my momma.

She came down this weekend to visit me and my sister (who happens to live just one town away) because she said the best gift was to get to spend time with us. That’s just a glimpse of how giving my mom is because truly, we should travel to see her on her big day. She also tried to pay for our lunch today, and that didn’t happen, but also demonstrates her generosity.

Most of all, I’m thankful for the generosity of her love, time, and patience. I wasn’t always an easy kid…I was moody, rebelious, and independent. There were times when I’m sure she wanted to give up on me, but she didn’t.

Mom, thank you for always being there for me, and for making me who I am today. I love you!

 

Opening Day of the Indianapolis 500

As part of our entry to the 500 Festival Mini Marathon, you receive a free ticket to opening day at the Indianapolis 500. I had never been to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before (other than the run the previous day) so Jaimie and I decided to head out to the track. We were able to park on the lawn within the track, which I thought was pretty cool. You never know how big that old oval is until a) you run on it for 2.5 miles or b) you try to find your way around it and then figure out how to get back; it ain’t easy!

The opening day is really just rookie day. All of the rookies try to qualify for the actual Indianapolis 500. We sat on the bleachers in absolutely perfect weather just watching these newbies fly around the track. One rookie that Jaimie and I were particularly fond of is Will Power. I kid you not, his name is Will Power (throw your fist in the air and say his name…it’s exhilerating!). Other than having a cool name, apparently he’s pretty good because he posted the fastest times of the day.

We also got up close to some driver whose name we never figured out, so if you know who it is, leave me a comment and let me know:

The Unsers were also there to give a talk and sign autographs. I know they’re a pretty big name in racing, but I could care less. I just thought it would be cool to get a picture of someone famous:

We had a great time just laughing, talking and learning the panning technique for photography (you get a pretty cool effect, especially with the race cars driving so fast!). After that, we went to Carmel to do some shopping. The entire weekend was a great time catching up with an old friend. I have a feeling it won’t be the last time we get together and hang out! (Please excuse my absolutely frizzy hair)

(All of these images taken with a Canon SD 1000 point and shoot)

 

Venting Session

I’m having a hard time right now and just needed to vent. Tyler was such an amazing support this weekend and did a great job at being so vocal at how proud of me he was for how I did in the Mini Marathon yesterday. More than that, he fit right in with my friend Jaimie and we’ve all had a blast all weekend laughing, watching tv and lounging around.

As great as all of that was, all I can focus on right now is that he left to go back home so he can be at church-band practice and then church. I have to be at work in the Indy office for a couple more days, so I won’t be able to go back home until the middle of this week. It’s so difficult after being married nearly three years to be apart like this. I know I’m being a big baby, but I just feel like a part of me is missing when he’s not around. It was all I could do to not pack up my stuff and go home with him…

Excuse me while I go cry a little…

 

500 Festival Mini Marathon

Today, I ran my first — and probably not last — 500 Festival Mini Marathon. It was the perfect morning for a run…overcast, cool and dry. I ran with my friend Jaimie, who ran it last year. We got up at 5:45 and were out the door by 6:20 a.m. We quickly found parking at the race and then waited in line at the port-o-johns. If you know anything about running, they are a popular place before a race. We weren’t as early as we could have been, so waiting in the lines made us a bit nervous. But luckily, we were able to make it to our corrall just in time for the start.

Tyler went to the start line to wait for us to make our way up. We started in corral K, which took only about 15 minutes to reach the start. It was estimated that corral Z would take 30 minutes to make it to the start, if that tells you anything. Even with 35,000 runners, the race coordinators find a way to make it a very seamless start.

The race was a blast. I’ve run the Evansville Half Marathon twice, but it is nothing like the Mini Marathon. There were people every step of the race cheering us on as well as musical and dance groups entertaining us. I think I was smiling most of the race. I felt good running, but more than that I was having fun. I decided that having fun was going to be the most important factor for me. In the past, I’ve put too much pressure on myself to do well. It was great to have Jaimie there running with me and keep me pumped.

My goal for the race, other than to have fun, was to run it in less than two hours. I’ve not been able to make that goal the past two races, so I was determined. I felt great and was on pace the entire first half. I started to get a side stitch at mile 11, so that was the only time I stopped to walk. I ended up running it off and was able to continue a good pace. I am happy to report that I made my goal and finished with a time of 1:58:44, or a 9:04-mile pace. I finished 494th in my 20-25 age group, 1947 out of women finishers, and 7425 overall.

Thanks to everyone, especially Jaimie, who encouraged me for this race. And a HUUUUGE thanks goes out to Tyler, who came all the way from Evansville just to see me race. Well, really he saw me at the starting line and then wait for over two hours until I made it back. He wins Husband of the Year award for sure.

 

Guess where I am!?!

 

Book Cover

Remember when I wrote about the book cover I was supposed to do for my Fundamentals of Imaging class? Well, I finally finished it tonight. It was truly a lot of fun, but I’m glad I’m done. (I rhymed!)

Yes, those are Tyler’s hands in those cuffs. He’s such a good sport!

 

Heavenly Hoedown

Tonight, Sojourn celebrated our new building and coming together as a family with a Heavenly Hoedown! We had a great turnout, but the most important part is that we had a TON of fun! We started the evening off with some food…a tater wagon, chili, hot dogs, and some delicious desserts.

Next, we began our tournaments. Dan was the winner of the pool tourney.

 

 The last foosball game between Matt and Mike was a nail-biter…

But Mike came out victorious!

Kody interviews Matt, who blames his loss on Mike’s distracting shiny head…

And the winner of the rock, paper, scissors contest was Bailey!

And finally, Gabby was the winner of the “Huh” game. At the beginning of the party, everyone received a sticker. If you said “huh,” the person who caught you took your sticker. Gabby’s final count was 29!

We also did some line dancing as well as karaoke. We rocked the house!

Isn’t he just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?

You’ll be sorry you missed BJ and Matt’s rendition of “Man of Constant Sorrow.”

Thanks to everyone who made this night a success. It was definitely a fun night for all!

(All images shot with a Canon 40d/50 mm 1.4 lens, no Photoshopping)

 

Meet Meridian

Meet Meridian, everyone!

DANE on accoustic guitar and vocals:

BJ on electric guitar and vocals:

DANIEL on bass guitar and vocals:

LOGAN on sax and vocals:

Last but certainly not least, my man TYLER on drums:

I shot these images last night at The Internet Cafe on First Avenue in Evansville. Five bands were supposed to play, but two dropped out at the last minute. Although Meridian’s set was only about 35 minutes, they did an awesome job and really rocked the house. Their next show is May 17 at the Clay Pot in Boonville with Cassidy Hodges. Be there or be square!

(These were all shot with my Canon 40d. Because it was extremely dark in there, I had to shoot with a very wide open aperture to capture enough light. These images are straight out of the camera, with no Photoshopping done to them.)

 

Apple blossoms

We have an apple tree right next to the yard in our house. Most of the time, we’re annoyed by its presence because it drops unedible apples that later turn to mush in our yard. It attracts bees and bugs, both of which I don’t care for.

But last night when I got home, I noticed just how beautiful the tree was with all of its blossoms. It was giving off the sweetest, most alluring scent, too. I just wanted to sit under the tree all night and just take it all in. I might have if it wasn’t for mosquitos which are now making their presence known. Instead, I grabbed my camera, got under the petal-filled branches and captured just a fraction of the tree’s beauty:

 

Mini Portfolio

Just finished up selecting and editing images for my mini portfolio tonight in basic photography. Now all I have to do is print, frame and turn them in. These are the final 10 images , which had to be done in black and white, for my “Aged” theme: