today is my birthday!

and i am now 18. an adult! eek. i can’t really believe it.

i’ve grown up a bit since this:

we saw armadillos this weekend

While we were camping! My family and I spent our weekend at Cooper Lake State Park, and had a lovely lake view from our campsite. The weather was beautiful, and we enjoyed the fall colors, the stars, and time as a family.

Armadillos are so cute. When they’re not roadkill.

We forgot to bring a broom, so Clara made one.

Family photo

Photoshoot with Clara – waking up in the woods

The lake view from our campsite

Potatoes for breakfast burritos

Delicious hot chocolate and marshmallows

We can never see this many stars in the city. God is amazing.

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lunch on the square

Summur and I went to the Historic Downtown square in McKinney this afternoon. And had a lovely time! On the drive, trying to figure out where we are (121 really does just turn into 399 which really does just turn into McDonald) and blasting the 80s music and rocking the vintage shades. Walking around the square, eating delicious food, spending long amounts of time wandering around antique stores, taking photos.

We had lunch at Spoons Cafe. It was fabulous. Pink lemonade, black pepper fries, and a bacon-lettuce-avocado sandwich. Summur had Pumpkin Soup and a Mandarin Orange Salad.

We enjoyed perusing the shops, even though some of them were closed…

Just off the square and down a little side street was this staircase.

I got this skirt at the Denton Square antique store last week. Wool + plaid + pleats + 70s!

I definitely enjoyed my afternoon! Thank you dear : )

And when I got home, Mom reminded me that it’s my half birthday. So, I can convince myself that the Fiestaware teapot I got at the Antique Mall was a birthday present. And that Mantovani record. And… that’s all.

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fourth of july weekend:: sunday

Our Sunday festivities started with going to church (and wearing patriotic colors.) In the afternoon, Clara and I went to a pool party with some friends (where I did not take many pictures.) But we had lots of fun and ate lots of good food. The watermelon I brought was demolished in a matter of minutes. (That is only a slight exaggeration.)

THIS IS ROOTBEER.  Please believe me.

Then, when I was sort of supposed to be taking a nap, I was out in the backyard trying out a lens and taking a multitude of pictures of Ginger. 24mm for a nice wide angle, eh? Sadly because this is a legacy (from film-camera) lens, it is limited in the focusing range. Like only a foot away. But for the things it can do, it is wonderful.

Then, we went to see the Farmers Branch fireworks. Very fun. We were so close, we would lay down on our backs and they would fill the sky above us. Loved it.

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senior photos:: darlene

Darlene and I explored the downtown of our city looking for places to take photos, and also utilized the awesomely colorful books at Half Price to make some great backgrounds.

^ really digging the color and the focus and the wind in this one.

^also in the antique store, with some lovely mirrors.

we included some fun props: a mustache on a stick, and a super colorful lollipop

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evening downtown

This evening some of us girls went to downtown Carrollton, for a ladies chocolate walk they were having.  Basically walk around the square, go in all the fun shops,  and eat the chocolate samples.

^ really sweet balls of thread at the antique store

^ this picture pretty much sums up clara’s infatuation with owls.

^ a cameo

^ through the viewfinder of a cool toy camera

^ us five girls

^ Summur with the big bag she liked

^ Melissa at Vintage Martini in a big fur coat

^…and me in this ridiculous coat, in which Clara thought I looked like a magician

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Rajasthan: the Land of Kings

Here are a few photos from while we were in Rajasthan.

^ Cows in India just stand in the middle of the road.  For real.  It’s because cows are revered as holy by the Hindus (the majority of India’s population) so they let them roam wherever they want to, and they don’t eat them.

^ Our giant “party bus” that we drove into tribal land in Rajasthan.

^ Our group in Rajasthan.

^Shoes

^ Tribal church

^ Child drinking from well

^ Children

^ Giving out tootsie rolls

^ Camel

^ The greatest camel riding photo ever.

^ This is really how it was.

^ The city of Udaipur

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this is my family.

^ my aunts, uncles and grandparents on my mother’s side.  my mom is the girl in the middle of the people sitting on the couch.

^ mema and grandpa big mike on their wedding day.

^ auntie margo [margaret ann] and mom [paula jo]

^ my grandfather was a professional photographer, and he worked in los alamos during the building of the atomic bomb as an army photographer.

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back from india

As many of you know, I went to India for two weeks this summer at the end of July.  There is so much I could say about it, but it was a spectacular and fabulous and amazing and wonderful and fun trip.  I am so glad I was able to go, and to experience another culture.  We visited Delhi,  Udaipur in Rajasthan,  Mumbai, and Kerala.

^ Sharlena and I before a day in Delhi

^ We were given leis everywhere we went.  It was such fun.

^ Intense bike ride through the muddy water

^ The foursome.

^ We drank – and brushed our teeth with – so many of this big water bottles

^ The group in front of the gates to the President’s Palace

^ Clara

^ Singing in front of the India Gate in Delhi

^ There was a really big group of people watching us

^ Awesome bag and shoes that I got when we went shopping.  Bartering is fun.

Well, that was only Delhi.  And only some of it.  A small some.  But, more will come later.

And, I would say that this trip was, indeed, life-changing.

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kodak 400

these photos were all taken on a roll of film i recently developed.

^ melissa at half price.  bookstores make for such great photos.

^ melissa’s table at graduation.

these photos after this are from melissa’s graduation party!

^ rachael, the amazing lovely cupcake baker!

^ actually a picture of me

^ me and sarrie

^ we hung paper lanterns and pictures on our porch

^ anneliese with sunflare and bokeh!

^ hanging paper lanterns on the porch

^ pictures and lights on the porch.  melissa had a great idea to hang the pictures with binder clips between the lanterns.

^ bokeh lights in the backyard.

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