Take Me Out to the Ballgame

When I think of summer, I think of bbq's and baseball. Last night my sister and brother-in-law got their hands on four tickets to the Angels game and invited Chad and I. Naturally, we jumped on the chance to see some baseball and journeyed up north for the night. It turns out that we had amazing seats, about 15 rows from the first base dugout and were able to watch a great game in Angels Stadium, which in my opinion, is one of the best fan experiences that you can get in MLB.

The Angels have a mascot called the Rally Monkey, which made its first appearance in June of 2000, and has been around ever since. The Rally Monkey only appears when the Angels are tied or trailing by three runs or less in the 7th inning or later, with a runner on base. Last night, we were able to experience the wrath of the Rally Monkey (pictures to follow) along with a fireworks show following the game. All in all, a very fun night, and here are some pictures to show for it.

To Obey or Not to Obey...

Did you know...

...that I'm originally from the great state of Oregon? Well if you didn't, then I guess this could count towards that saying, "you learn something new every day". And for those of you who do know I'm from Oregon, here a couple of facts that I can almost bet that you didn't know:

FACT: Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state (and come to think of it, I may have come from one of them...just kidding Mom and Dad!).

FACT: Oregon and New Jersey are the only states without self-serve gas stations

FACT: Oregon's state birthday is on February 14, Valentine's Day (ahhh, how sweet)

FACT: Official State Dance: Square Dance (now that's just funny)

Anyway, I could go on and on with these educational tidbits, but I won't...and you can all thank me later. Just one more before I go, along with a couple of pictures I took of the beautiful Crater Lake. In my eyes it is a must see!

FACT: Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and is formed in the remains of an ancient volcano. And just in case you would like to learn more about Crater Lake, click here.

King of Kings

In my last blog I mentioned that I have had the opportunity to experience some unique things over the last couple of weeks. Two weekends ago I attended a skateboard demo with my husband Chad. Chad works for Outreach Events and this is one of the many talented and inspiring groups that they book events for. This particular group, King of Kings Skateboard Ministry has an amazing talent for skateboarding, and more importantly sharing the Gospel. I of course brought my camera along and had a blast photographing my first ever skateboard demo, and was touched to see these guys pour into the lives of many of our youth who are starving for love and direction in their lives. Overall it was a Saturday well spent, and I would like you to see just a small fraction of what I was able to.

Motion

Its been a very long time since my last post, but life seems to have just been busier than usual over the past month or so. Between taking a new job and serving as maid of honor in my big sister's wedding, I just haven't had the time to sit down and write. I have been able to experience some unique things the past month or so, so stay tuned because I will be sharing some adventures here later on. For now, I want to share with you cool things that can be done using slow shutter speed. The first three pictures are of a fire dancing demonstration, and the last two are of the Coaster, a train that runs from Oceanside to downtown San Diego. By simply usiing slow shutter speeds you are able to capture some very cool interpretations of objects in motion. Enjoy!

Abby

I'm sad to report that we have had to put the best dog ever to sleep today...it has been a sad day for my family, but I want to share with you some of the fun memories of her. My parents got Abby for me somewhat as a sympathy gift after I tore my second ACL in high school, and she was such an awsome dog...not to mention that she was pretty and she knew it! Some would say that she had my sassy attitude, but I never really saw it :-/. Anyways, there are many fun memories of Abby, but mainly she was just a happy dog who liked to go on camping trips and chase balls. Enjoy some pics that we took along the way....I couldn't dig up any of her as a puppy, but as all (well most all) puppies are, she was very cute!

On The Road Again

Georgia On My Mind, Heartbreak Hotel, Mendocino County Line, and lets not forget Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys just scratch the surface of classics produced by our favorite Highwayman, Willie Nelson. A couple of years ago, at Greer Stadium in Nashville, TN I was lucky enough to be in the press row at concert of his. He allowed pictures of the first three songs of his set...here a few for you die hard Willie fans.