Bonsai!

A couple of weeks ago, I visited my sister in the Seattle area for a week. Besides our usual shenanigans that include laughing perfectly in sync, crafting, and drinking tea, we also set out on a few outings. We hit up the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection and the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden early in the week, where I went to town with my camera. With my busy schedule, I'm rarely able to carve out time to take photos purely for myself. It's so refreshing when I can. Here are some of my favorite shots I captured of the bonsai trees!






The trees in the rhododendron garden looked unnaturally large after admiring the bonsai!

Sneak Peek: England Family Portraits

I took a vacation last week to visit my sister up in the Seattle area. Before I went, I made plans with my online friend, Emerald England, to meet up for a photo trade. It was so great to finally meet her in person! It's ridiculous how much we have in common. She shot some new headshots for me; the one I've been using was taken well over three years ago. She also created some gorgeous portraits of my sister and her son, and some with me in the mix too. In exchange, I shot family portraits for her. The last time they'd had family portraits made was shortly after their daughter was born six years ago. What is with us photographers neglecting to have our own lives photographed? Right now I'm angling for new professional portraits of my husband and me; the only ones we've ever had were on our wedding day in 2009. I can only do so much with a tripod and a self-timer. In any case, Emerald and I are both a little less neglectful now, thanks to this trade. I'm thrilled with the photos I received, and I hope she will be just as happy with hers. Here's a little peek at the photos of her gorgeous family:

Oh, and here's my favorite headshot from the bazillion that Em gave me to choose from! That's little ol' me!

Seattle Trip!

I went up to Seattle (well, Puyallup) last weekend to visit my sister and her family. We had a blast, as was expected. It's nearly impossible for the two of us to get together without some manner of awesome shenanigans occurring. We spent quite a bit of time harassing the staff at her local coffee shop. We wandered around a nature preserve in the ridiculously cold rain. We went shopping. A lot. We sang in the car. A lot. We ate. A lot. I also got to watch one of her roller derby bouts for the first time, which was of course inherently awesome. Her husband explained the rules to me while she was out there throwing her hips into people and such. I also got to hang out with my nephew a bit. He has grown SO much since I last saw him. Thankfully he was in the midst of a 2-week-long break from his seizures while I was there, so I got to see him at his happy squealy best! Oh, there were chocolate mustaches at one point too, thanks to the aforementioned coffee shop. Here are a few of the photos I took during my stay. I can't wait to get back up again!

Washington is gorgeous this time of year, yes?

My sister, "Gita Kraken" is the one sporting the one red sock and the dark navy tights. You might notice the distinct lack of people on their bench, so she skated a whooole lot.

Enter mustache tomfoolery. My nephew Connor is very dapper.

I miss you sister!

-Mary