tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929454013928941912024-02-07T13:23:46.242-06:00Project 27Project27 has been an amazing journey for me, starting with a challenge to take a self-portrait every day for a year. That was in 2008. Since then the project has gone with me to Disney and back (working there, not just a vacation), seen me fall in love and get married, and now through the amazing challenge of owning my first home! It has become a way of life for me, and continues to evolve as I continue to document it along the way, still taking a self-portrait every day.Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-70401417684095190342016-01-24T16:30:00.002-06:002016-01-24T16:30:43.356-06:00Costume Report: Rey the scavenger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRczu0Vh4jLeDbf1YNHt5n-g29Z9SO5kX6ZvmscjsqIQk8UOnKQxFrTDLSLE5bEil_HZycYIrZ4-S3cgYz6lNosX7DefPzAT-z0c2kh5FvJXcfA2eA8zWKdxnf7s2tx4uzUtBUg-yofw/s1600/IMG_0686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRczu0Vh4jLeDbf1YNHt5n-g29Z9SO5kX6ZvmscjsqIQk8UOnKQxFrTDLSLE5bEil_HZycYIrZ4-S3cgYz6lNosX7DefPzAT-z0c2kh5FvJXcfA2eA8zWKdxnf7s2tx4uzUtBUg-yofw/s320/IMG_0686.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
So a few months before The Force Awakens, I finally decided that Rey just seemed like too awesome a character for me to not dive in and make the costume. And I quickly discovered that it was really as easy as it looked... Simple shirt, simple pants, simple tabbard style wrap... The most difficult part for me was the shoes, but as it turns out, the actual shoes she wears are available online (though they are pricey... which is why I haven't bought them yet...)<br />
<br />
The clothing pieces were the easiest for me because I have a custom
"sloper" (or dress block) pattern. I would highly recommend either
having one commissioned or making one if you plan to do much costume
making, once you have the sloper it can be modified to make just about
anything.<br />
<br />
Aside from the shoes, I also didn't make the belt, I enlisted help of a friend who's amazing with leather who used a pattern found online. Same with the wristcuff, I did make it, but used a simple tutorial from the same site. Also gotta give credit to the internet for the staff, I modified a very popular tutorial that uses simple hardware store parts, and used a textured spray paint instead of matte. <br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lz9JUPWUIqL8Sk1jOLW4Orxp50UbiUKXCUccPLxzvi2MJ278KC7U99oQSYbMCjMhYwY01T_cKzzTAGr7Pn9Wws_sUk8PnXa8eTWTi8xXD61tDJum-cIBGp0VH2DXaNR0Mr8_HAUMwJQ/s1600/IMG_0964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lz9JUPWUIqL8Sk1jOLW4Orxp50UbiUKXCUccPLxzvi2MJ278KC7U99oQSYbMCjMhYwY01T_cKzzTAGr7Pn9Wws_sUk8PnXa8eTWTi8xXD61tDJum-cIBGp0VH2DXaNR0Mr8_HAUMwJQ/s200/IMG_0964.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<br />
For the under shirt, I decided on a raglan sleeved tunic, cut short at the waist and low at the top so I wouldn't have to worry about extra bulk. I used a sample fabric that I had test dyed for the outer shirt, which is why it's so uneven. It's a pretty standard shirt-weight cotton fabric, and feels great against my skin. I believe the actual undershirt has a few seams across the sleeve that mine lacks, but that would be a pretty simple addition by adding width to the shoulder/sleeve pieces and creating the seams before attaching to the bodice. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As for the main shirt, I decided on a lighter weight cotton. I cut the shoulders in toward the neck quite a bit, and although I don't think the original has a shoulder seam, I went ahead and created mine with a shoulder seam because it's easier and is hidden under the wrap anyway. I used a single-wide bias tape to face the neckline, and hand stitched it down on the outside of the tunic. I did this rather than creating a separate facing and then adding bias tape on top of that because I really like the lightweight look having just the tape gives. An actual facing would ha<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_c_6rKcbJvKoy0Xthr1kvAxuJ_c7zA3WNEiR9b05pRiG7LPfDdtEl73nQPEO62eiAnOysm1seX7rNUOnS-X5qiFyeKj4s0x4wawFP_-YHIp7PegmpstrdTRSpsfRkCaJgMpzEOqg4Gs/s1600/IMG_0686.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a>ve added bulk.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiq9VPPEaoIOBmKy6K-oUcCH4lCJqE-MXtP-Cwm1NrI8Z3JMfwfN_4C1iVbl8VA7DzPGgTgZvl4lEFLmKOffEY4yZw0H4IL1LP7IPSvUa2zSrtuOdl6nNX58ZYzgTEAa97gD0URGnLq0/s1600/IMG_1005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiq9VPPEaoIOBmKy6K-oUcCH4lCJqE-MXtP-Cwm1NrI8Z3JMfwfN_4C1iVbl8VA7DzPGgTgZvl4lEFLmKOffEY4yZw0H4IL1LP7IPSvUa2zSrtuOdl6nNX58ZYzgTEAa97gD0URGnLq0/s200/IMG_1005.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4xyvKR_agQgOT-jSy_9BL8Pf2OahZPiScxUmH5b6har3JkEJ75X77HMU-bX24KjUM5hnRJqx7RlesbjDX_IXK9RYdlej3w8yaOU3488WqN4kQYzfJyDdIt0QIYHSWXqeGSA7dIEYyOc/s1600/IMG_0957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4xyvKR_agQgOT-jSy_9BL8Pf2OahZPiScxUmH5b6har3JkEJ75X77HMU-bX24KjUM5hnRJqx7RlesbjDX_IXK9RYdlej3w8yaOU3488WqN4kQYzfJyDdIt0QIYHSWXqeGSA7dIEYyOc/s200/IMG_0957.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
The pants are simple harem pants that I gathered and cuffed just below the knee. The fabric is an amazing poly/rayon blend I found on clearance at Hancock Fabrics, I am using the 'back' side, it has a shiny metallic thread that runs through the 'front'... I self lined the pants to give them a little more structure, and chose to go without a waistband, instead they have a side zipper like a dress slack. And like all my actual dress slacks, yes, I know I need to iron these =P but I figure the wrinkles give it character! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWQyu8DNSapiXHUkEMEfJbDjXujRbJJjhEDIm6DTKtDkRQLtqTTo9HUZC88KGKI-6ks1leRjhRO8YbVhzkwbVQfQG3uMimzjecxyxZHEXvE_fZ9RhQHkCDnRRe7o7sXnfAZ_JezMKYYM/s1600/IMG_1020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWQyu8DNSapiXHUkEMEfJbDjXujRbJJjhEDIm6DTKtDkRQLtqTTo9HUZC88KGKI-6ks1leRjhRO8YbVhzkwbVQfQG3uMimzjecxyxZHEXvE_fZ9RhQHkCDnRRe7o7sXnfAZ_JezMKYYM/s200/IMG_1020.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<br />
On the cuff of each pant leg, I left the side seam open and attached bias strips made from the same fabric for the leg wraps. I made the strips long enough to wrap about 3 times around each leg. In most of the film she wears the wraps around the cuff, but I can also wrap it down around my legs like she does in a few scenes. Without tacking down the strips though it's not practical to wear the wraps this way as they slip down easily thanks to the slippery polyester fabric.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="data:image/gif;base64,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" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPm3BhQAXl4NTFgOWpCBGDhZ0FQnwJYDv6CMpuNViaTU_Nd-wQbu95_WvPZDloa3bsnPgn0b_D1AYCpEEri9azt8smHXMcdVyOxTDrnh9LWgusfobBJE15bYOnSDBmoaP5o1wZL5_XGIA/s1600/IMG_1001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPm3BhQAXl4NTFgOWpCBGDhZ0FQnwJYDv6CMpuNViaTU_Nd-wQbu95_WvPZDloa3bsnPgn0b_D1AYCpEEri9azt8smHXMcdVyOxTDrnh9LWgusfobBJE15bYOnSDBmoaP5o1wZL5_XGIA/s200/IMG_1001.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<br />
I wanted this costume to be as simple to wear as possible, so I decided to create arm wraps that would not come un-wrapped. I created a regular sleeve (of the same fabric as my inner shirt, but obviously this can be any fabric, since it will be covered) and then wrapped strips of cotton gauze fabric around it. I measured 3" strips from a section of gauze fabric and then 'snip and ripped' to create a nice raw edge that will not fray much. I hand tacked the strips down once I liked the wrap, leaving the last few inches un-tacked so that I can tighten it to my wrist. I left enough extra so that once it is wrapped, I just tuck the extra under and it stays nicely. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJudhhMOszzhdqq7jjmYDeOXXnz7vTpuFY5lri71l3dv7gzb8M1ngTZ4imyTD354ildh7UJRbjGl5tz2y04uWkPCtYLNF6soc3r9qKILt0nvx-cMFDBQhIfKjXCNtYwNtCyl5ixQxeNVc/s1600/IMG_0585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJudhhMOszzhdqq7jjmYDeOXXnz7vTpuFY5lri71l3dv7gzb8M1ngTZ4imyTD354ildh7UJRbjGl5tz2y04uWkPCtYLNF6soc3r9qKILt0nvx-cMFDBQhIfKjXCNtYwNtCyl5ixQxeNVc/s200/IMG_0585.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
The last fabric piece is the tunic/tabbards/dress... It's just a simple rectangle, gathered at the shoulders on each arm. I also added small snaps at each of the shoulders so that everything stays put. I used a semi sheer polyester blend, the weight is great and it slows really well. I cut the width (60") down the middle to give the final width, leaving the non-selvage edges raw. The length is made from these two pieces and has a french seam at the middle (to prevent fraying).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
After everything was completed, I weathered the whole thing with a variety of different materials. Mostly dye, shoe polish and makeup. I wanted the stains and weathering to withstand washing, and also to be sanitary so I can take it to places like Children's Hospitals without any worries. After seeing the movie a few times, I think I'll be making more stains and darkening the weathering, but for now I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! And, of course, Rey is such an incredible character to play, and having a comfortable costume certainly helps! <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_BV4mEC1kLyzOnlJUO7TkBD6Bxfyz6Ckp46Wunvgz02utkp2cUhzGI-6ZxFjGHQ8EFuiBdGf_baus9Yokg69HInZ83eVjx4iKn7IBsp_8N51dj52PddIMDCcNeCt_pWAeMiyw27USkM/s1600/IMG_1001.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><br />Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-81154468032804968102015-01-04T19:28:00.000-06:002015-01-04T19:36:07.609-06:00Welcome 2015! 2014 has been quite a wonderful year for me and my muscle man! Lots of scuba diving, travel, and of course photography =)<br />
But moving into 2015, I've been offered some great opportunities for side work in photography, and I couldn't be more excited! I absolutely love studio photography, but don't get the chance to do as much as I'd like. But this year has started off to an excellent start with a commission for an 18 month doggie calendar! I'm hoping to do both studio and location shots for the dogs, and some of them even know fun tricks I'm very excited to see! <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvv2GjXVORWTz8XeA-VOqWyFK0kM4BNYosW3JeAHnvZKsE4d4QSMyEtBJaaQlwNl5C5K-zSKYMuB2Gi-lsYvWFX4uxoC1KHBW7BK3Tb44AFkirAytQwBA5qDfqpDf8SsZL5fEfYDxgSdM/s1600/IMG_1999sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvv2GjXVORWTz8XeA-VOqWyFK0kM4BNYosW3JeAHnvZKsE4d4QSMyEtBJaaQlwNl5C5K-zSKYMuB2Gi-lsYvWFX4uxoC1KHBW7BK3Tb44AFkirAytQwBA5qDfqpDf8SsZL5fEfYDxgSdM/s1600/IMG_1999sm.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Our dog trainer (what a Godsend!) has ventured out on her own and was looking for a photographer, and I was so thrilled to help with some shots for her website, and even more excited when she came to me with the idea for a calendar! Photographing my shiba inu pup has taught me several really good tricks for working with 4 legged models, it's even more fun than working with human subjects haha!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SbNnSUHw5X0Lj-LmTNvH2jE7oCTBGRYEay_9DudRdVAQoD_tBkqS2aQHaKQ7NK7idZAv7_y-q3Eh3o-m6xnh4vXAUyoTwuSj8hod9nDzFUbqccqo-cWblfYkiHJ1bWYyWEVwXVec7WM/s1600/tifa_bed_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SbNnSUHw5X0Lj-LmTNvH2jE7oCTBGRYEay_9DudRdVAQoD_tBkqS2aQHaKQ7NK7idZAv7_y-q3Eh3o-m6xnh4vXAUyoTwuSj8hod9nDzFUbqccqo-cWblfYkiHJ1bWYyWEVwXVec7WM/s1600/tifa_bed_sm.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-36160641789186994622014-10-30T20:10:00.000-05:002014-10-30T20:11:22.460-05:00A Halloween Fox Hunt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It never fails when we take our little shiba inu out that someone will comment that she "looks like a fox", so we figured why fight it for halloween? I found the cutest little onesie and ran with it! We got her ears painted black at Petsmart(with pet safe spray chalk), but I was worried she would try to lick off the paint if we did her legs so I created some textured sleeves for her instead. And then I decided she needed a skirt to look more girly, of course!! =D </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And of course, it wouldn't be Halloween if the humans didn't dress up, so my muscle man and I played a couple of fox hunters out for a little walk. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0YR7MGVhz7lsHNIOeNBpOeWuHF6odoCPyzHa0i3y4C6cO6u3CFZboKjlecORaOt9bC3krbrPSxiZqhqz6dSU_TmqHGNrrl6w2GR78nelmAxTUEmhYJoyxSVzEUTMzHPhSaSdHyCebn-Y/s1600/fox_1sm.jpg" height="640" width="427" /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUshb4hKgsTkmtHYKmcEIoK4a5Ey2M1v14NgJafyU6XwnNopyXF8aJTSKLlLyWK6icDLzLAXOkFd9VVJL-CBTvyfYLOad01meU1iXmy9gxGdM0csDtRui8f_QAYoegf-on2wl8I4THWGA/s1600/fox_2sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUshb4hKgsTkmtHYKmcEIoK4a5Ey2M1v14NgJafyU6XwnNopyXF8aJTSKLlLyWK6icDLzLAXOkFd9VVJL-CBTvyfYLOad01meU1iXmy9gxGdM0csDtRui8f_QAYoegf-on2wl8I4THWGA/s1600/fox_2sm.jpg" height="640" width="427" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZy8kBQI0EmWwEuBn0s1_7DhtSl6_qMN1k0tHkZ3ZIN7yEkSyLMizAyxC2cUve2SUJLvYQ9BS5j3vZi_Rbzf29q9t3sfKEqyHDdNnHzJFWR0k8uCtcNRfQGCMq0eXCepS6_v-8_2GKuR4/s1600/fox_3sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZy8kBQI0EmWwEuBn0s1_7DhtSl6_qMN1k0tHkZ3ZIN7yEkSyLMizAyxC2cUve2SUJLvYQ9BS5j3vZi_Rbzf29q9t3sfKEqyHDdNnHzJFWR0k8uCtcNRfQGCMq0eXCepS6_v-8_2GKuR4/s1600/fox_3sm.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1A5LIgs9-IGUlpW0PiHDzuDdJTRkD_JqF22GYfemzPaiCCMneOKHnEJDcbVnp2_9DDeZrKqv-87RYuGZCWR4bu_yfweUEFkjtjo6WTFNMrshuLibjZzDgt4qXMd0dWPTIg_Asn1k6ns/s1600/fox_4altsm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1A5LIgs9-IGUlpW0PiHDzuDdJTRkD_JqF22GYfemzPaiCCMneOKHnEJDcbVnp2_9DDeZrKqv-87RYuGZCWR4bu_yfweUEFkjtjo6WTFNMrshuLibjZzDgt4qXMd0dWPTIg_Asn1k6ns/s1600/fox_4altsm.jpg" height="640" width="427" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQBDdQeNw1gSVDIzvxwVXbRYbk9PcmZmp4Q-2GdBW_JItK4j_WFGwo0vzxYicQYgwRgBJ_Qbut_eXShB-ixR7mBNzqrSqG6nb_5E5B470PP8OjbHpY9WaioBH8Y96pE18JEFncg7m80k/s1600/fox_5sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQBDdQeNw1gSVDIzvxwVXbRYbk9PcmZmp4Q-2GdBW_JItK4j_WFGwo0vzxYicQYgwRgBJ_Qbut_eXShB-ixR7mBNzqrSqG6nb_5E5B470PP8OjbHpY9WaioBH8Y96pE18JEFncg7m80k/s1600/fox_5sm.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHtWDosKkGcM-2WbouKdpJzFc-NDMv6mt3ynrevVISX_1ZsnWC-t8LYTIHOVv0V23xkLuNKXn0knpaSg_tptM_rgEUA6PdMS3CF9nM89bavJbCi0HMnneYqvHeLj8-BsauftR9OEN1EU/s1600/fox_6sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHtWDosKkGcM-2WbouKdpJzFc-NDMv6mt3ynrevVISX_1ZsnWC-t8LYTIHOVv0V23xkLuNKXn0knpaSg_tptM_rgEUA6PdMS3CF9nM89bavJbCi0HMnneYqvHeLj8-BsauftR9OEN1EU/s1600/fox_6sm.jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></div>
<br />Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-31769247508689506872014-04-19T22:47:00.002-05:002014-04-19T22:48:21.826-05:00Year 6 done, and Lucky 7's Just BegunWow... 6 years of taking a self-portrait every day. I don't think I could ever have thought that this project would evolve this way when I began it, but it has turned into the most challenging and rewarding journey, and has truly become a part of me. But this year as I looked through my photos, I came to a bit of a realization.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSXLc-VjYiFM4p3IxAly76M4PgO19UbBc8SYmlBZPXW-Efl8fY5ixB2E4DftGfuV1GAtTOAf2R3i2SB8zp21N-p6BCXc8plbMNoFUHT4CrftA39ns8JWD2HUkRYEGD8RYsKe_3CVwi24/s1600/year6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSXLc-VjYiFM4p3IxAly76M4PgO19UbBc8SYmlBZPXW-Efl8fY5ixB2E4DftGfuV1GAtTOAf2R3i2SB8zp21N-p6BCXc8plbMNoFUHT4CrftA39ns8JWD2HUkRYEGD8RYsKe_3CVwi24/s1600/year6.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnGWhd9NWzwmka5AfWgmbftE4uhNy9gJuxdvwBHRBkFgRh3eY_y8E9hZe1u32olq4KIIXij24w2IyWFnHiWi3DdsvO8b8KUr5Z5AC1UVtLs89iOcceExW5gib4U70mfeU_ETNYlB0EZtE/s1600/10-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
This journey is no longer just mine. My favorite images as I looked through all 365 were the ones that my muscle man was also included in. And since this project was originally intended to be more about learning photography, I notice that I do enjoy composing shots for the two of us much more than just taking a simple "selfie". Then there is the obvious perk of having all these wonderful shots of us to look back on, something not many couples can say, outside of the aforementioned selfies =P<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijIBDUEQFkzezR037jZHykRwt2ctqO0N08nhPsWg6eEtoMKhQuU-Se5gJJClVl78TGs6PrN2B2LKQiXX18vs2SrGEULSp0sof8BwTByTzV5Vqp-dqoz-rO_nw7QSRFyYP3dOMgggsXpcE/s1600/05-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijIBDUEQFkzezR037jZHykRwt2ctqO0N08nhPsWg6eEtoMKhQuU-Se5gJJClVl78TGs6PrN2B2LKQiXX18vs2SrGEULSp0sof8BwTByTzV5Vqp-dqoz-rO_nw7QSRFyYP3dOMgggsXpcE/s1600/05-07.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMmUhPhYub5bLyTJHksL3d78q03DAeXVlUwwF1DtAnMlFlfQcAgHqjxyDerdK9gvnSDxH-VR-1psZgGQTiDI3brvGQnNPJZ47Uz_mFlY-lB6NInQOS6EHdT1nT-dxbqblndqNV6hNKw3I/s1600/01-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMmUhPhYub5bLyTJHksL3d78q03DAeXVlUwwF1DtAnMlFlfQcAgHqjxyDerdK9gvnSDxH-VR-1psZgGQTiDI3brvGQnNPJZ47Uz_mFlY-lB6NInQOS6EHdT1nT-dxbqblndqNV6hNKw3I/s1600/01-18.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGwb4oJv4PJR-0fayf6tvDW6MCVAjEAlJUy518VsZnZgNO_5Amd59fXEB6WdNiyWyOEkobiJDbxkIL71AEP5NoYxYtD2ryXJsCd3d_UT6RwYaEgkR0bWoyjP7M_cyPQKiBPXlFRpViIw/s1600/02-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGwb4oJv4PJR-0fayf6tvDW6MCVAjEAlJUy518VsZnZgNO_5Amd59fXEB6WdNiyWyOEkobiJDbxkIL71AEP5NoYxYtD2ryXJsCd3d_UT6RwYaEgkR0bWoyjP7M_cyPQKiBPXlFRpViIw/s1600/02-14.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGgm-W5mrMZG3TrY_6eg1W18N6G33rIx_MDVixtShZ0OstLYM2WCNe_0BnNtnbYYz7beCMkl6mr-QVDcIR30VLePNjpAtu9fiavzC3S_LMswaIHdasbjxBRTl0AoGiO49lmycJQomwGMw/s1600/12-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGgm-W5mrMZG3TrY_6eg1W18N6G33rIx_MDVixtShZ0OstLYM2WCNe_0BnNtnbYYz7beCMkl6mr-QVDcIR30VLePNjpAtu9fiavzC3S_LMswaIHdasbjxBRTl0AoGiO49lmycJQomwGMw/s1600/12-13.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_KPSV5bfAIb2ypbbfyLyFaOFLkA8T0ftpSQH6_gmU-x5hmszeLREVJ0FWwee2HxArvj4qSLB4AQuw4pkMmhkSw38icIeWDVSG1ckNhdTcYmqS8UOM80b2BNDVz1jLGwC9Cc7JPSy5EpA/s1600/09-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_KPSV5bfAIb2ypbbfyLyFaOFLkA8T0ftpSQH6_gmU-x5hmszeLREVJ0FWwee2HxArvj4qSLB4AQuw4pkMmhkSw38icIeWDVSG1ckNhdTcYmqS8UOM80b2BNDVz1jLGwC9Cc7JPSy5EpA/s1600/09-16.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WcWArBCDXTIx2-pOPOFzYYW2hkH_eksJzvxvloDmS664UlPoB3zRRChabBVaio2Rl1v_ZzRdMMdMbwxo-eaqDSfR6ZzlHoPZKJ79oftVGpzrVzibBUG1YiEZQOxBxGlh6mRUEpzuMVc/s1600/10-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WcWArBCDXTIx2-pOPOFzYYW2hkH_eksJzvxvloDmS664UlPoB3zRRChabBVaio2Rl1v_ZzRdMMdMbwxo-eaqDSfR6ZzlHoPZKJ79oftVGpzrVzibBUG1YiEZQOxBxGlh6mRUEpzuMVc/s1600/10-26.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwAUb_UnJSuNe04VYyWKptFikcpHRI9ocF7czfKxC2HbBX8GxTwsI7_abGdNZh2rbR2YoDPjs5qhEOyoEcPgKbiKn7DGFbqxFa1Rlp5cMVW0EhzDtRnvFcldAS1IodnBMncsYjepg-dM/s1600/08-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwAUb_UnJSuNe04VYyWKptFikcpHRI9ocF7czfKxC2HbBX8GxTwsI7_abGdNZh2rbR2YoDPjs5qhEOyoEcPgKbiKn7DGFbqxFa1Rlp5cMVW0EhzDtRnvFcldAS1IodnBMncsYjepg-dM/s1600/08-12.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippbwEex6mTb7UbFNu6Y2xn_vMbFyElomT5SyNWPu6MJij3H03AoiPeBMrEaambaqq0pEQFPW_ZKA2SJqSXec03_NjPDEOqgfUWDF-eHVAQzDWNcECVUgr5a5fFWgBgMen8trp1A5CBIM/s1600/03-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippbwEex6mTb7UbFNu6Y2xn_vMbFyElomT5SyNWPu6MJij3H03AoiPeBMrEaambaqq0pEQFPW_ZKA2SJqSXec03_NjPDEOqgfUWDF-eHVAQzDWNcECVUgr5a5fFWgBgMen8trp1A5CBIM/s1600/03-08.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekP0Vby3qKVCMhOtTpGIZf_N6iCFp32bUr71y_dGpCozurVYEbbmR5e8dyIs-bgNfNMVK6_1TAgk7TjsfTAvoZe_xp0xVEH6DqqOtHA31YSlKKk_hrGz9G2nyjm8A2xSD-E4EDTYRK4I/s1600/05-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekP0Vby3qKVCMhOtTpGIZf_N6iCFp32bUr71y_dGpCozurVYEbbmR5e8dyIs-bgNfNMVK6_1TAgk7TjsfTAvoZe_xp0xVEH6DqqOtHA31YSlKKk_hrGz9G2nyjm8A2xSD-E4EDTYRK4I/s1600/05-03.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So for this year, my 7th of taking a daily portrait, I think it's definitely time for a bit of a change! Although it was a bit of a challenge to get my muscle man to agree to it, he's reluctantly agreed to join in! I've decided that to make it easier on myself, <span class="st">diptychs are totally acceptable, and I may even let my muscle man take over the camera for some of my shots! </span><span class="st"> </span>Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-80428115711377216952014-04-16T19:36:00.000-05:002014-04-16T19:36:23.436-05:00Florida Keys (part 3- All the other Fun) I guess it's rather appropriate that a trip to an island cluster would be filled with so many water activities, especially since my uncle lives on a boat! My muscle man and I spent the whole week just soaking it up and enjoying everything we could!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFd2rvrzGvALYJDYTmd2R3mzWl4vzsO_ZuaDrPdf0uhlT8Z6ZLI1utfaXwKLbN1C1DjrqgFC0BQXNI_NPTmUlAJsaZ4wiyu_4-kGZaBn2dBORwQbGnrNFqrXN7oXuT6IjhUrgWu9lCcc/s1600/G0040165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFd2rvrzGvALYJDYTmd2R3mzWl4vzsO_ZuaDrPdf0uhlT8Z6ZLI1utfaXwKLbN1C1DjrqgFC0BQXNI_NPTmUlAJsaZ4wiyu_4-kGZaBn2dBORwQbGnrNFqrXN7oXuT6IjhUrgWu9lCcc/s1600/G0040165.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKV-AVO3uhW_nhQiLns7rP3lpf1Upoht3jeXBEQbkCW7Uq-O4XqG8feKot6DoEpAXR0BFgnCmKmwVEMCkBeUNq52_jJAs7JwRPhSQOeWUeero3MTkRvivoQmeqiZA_UxYbEbe3f8pGYE/s1600/G0060397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKV-AVO3uhW_nhQiLns7rP3lpf1Upoht3jeXBEQbkCW7Uq-O4XqG8feKot6DoEpAXR0BFgnCmKmwVEMCkBeUNq52_jJAs7JwRPhSQOeWUeero3MTkRvivoQmeqiZA_UxYbEbe3f8pGYE/s1600/G0060397.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
While we were planning our trip, I was kinda disappointed that I just couldn't make our schedule work to go on a kayak trip around the everglades. But we got the next best thing, rental kayaks and a perfectly placed boat launch (an unexpected perk of staying on a boat in a marina haha!) So off we went armed with plenty of sunscreen and snacks for a great little paddle around the gulf side of the island. It was so peaceful, just me and my muscle man, paddling around wherever our arms could take us. There were lots of great little coral islands covered in mangroves, and we pulled into this little grassy lagoon that was home to loads of upside down jellyfish! We also saw a pufferfish chilling out around one of the islands, and of course there were so many neat birds to look at above land as well. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/NwNQeP3HiIY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEaKHli30JqAgqD0hxhGjYmw4X4_FiKqHspU_As3hUpFnQEvlxp3oOT80FaCGE62eJ9PpqWvLJ7fA2Qdo7rdKG1UoZ3C3pnagTfAXpBArTlbedY8K5nM1KXvDkaYrp3hL6DwU1zQok0RI/s1600/G0090560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEaKHli30JqAgqD0hxhGjYmw4X4_FiKqHspU_As3hUpFnQEvlxp3oOT80FaCGE62eJ9PpqWvLJ7fA2Qdo7rdKG1UoZ3C3pnagTfAXpBArTlbedY8K5nM1KXvDkaYrp3hL6DwU1zQok0RI/s1600/G0090560.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy03JDfF42Rod0KDkFYp2E-Gzfnkdyc0RrE14Lt469s7kXGRyOsXzKUpw9Qpwp53pNf2_hunk3eOvqSnL2NuNgU4vydCNnXXge0tAopMCvNsbsS8Y7DkPaouyBPml5qznEt5sfDSrTasM/s1600/G0100572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy03JDfF42Rod0KDkFYp2E-Gzfnkdyc0RrE14Lt469s7kXGRyOsXzKUpw9Qpwp53pNf2_hunk3eOvqSnL2NuNgU4vydCNnXXge0tAopMCvNsbsS8Y7DkPaouyBPml5qznEt5sfDSrTasM/s1600/G0100572.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Naturally, the scuba diving in the keys is great, and the area is very well known for its shallow coral reefs, but leave it to my muscle man to want more! He has been hounding me to dive a wreck pretty much since he got certified, but as they are usually reserved for more advanced divers since they are usually deep and tend to be more dangerous, I've been easily able to avoid the issue. But there happens to be a great dive outfitter in Marathon, and after a talk with the head dive-mistress, she decided that we met standards (and I think needed more people to join a trip they already had planned!) and we were on our way to the <a href="http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/shipwrecktrail/thunderbolt.html">Thunderbolt </a>wreck. Though it was a little deeper than I prefer (100+ feet) it was still a great dive!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/reoL28--QoM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-20136471940869926902014-04-13T15:01:00.000-05:002014-04-13T15:02:04.969-05:00Florida Keys (part 2- Fun in the Coral)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IGPpT7E4AxvxhFPHg9whu-JIG3ihlpgIKGW__s9X6F7FhCMaVq6PyqD8fbybu_6DYff3KkUDcIZB_6xRcOxugoWXOhgqcQTm7PEmjWlhIQpcD8vExuSa6qSgHx10DbpWO71kbOhU1AM/s1600/G0110595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IGPpT7E4AxvxhFPHg9whu-JIG3ihlpgIKGW__s9X6F7FhCMaVq6PyqD8fbybu_6DYff3KkUDcIZB_6xRcOxugoWXOhgqcQTm7PEmjWlhIQpcD8vExuSa6qSgHx10DbpWO71kbOhU1AM/s1600/G0110595.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a>My muscle man and I were very excited about our trip down to the keys, my uncle and his fiance are scuba divers too, so we were so glad to get into the water! The seas were not really in our favor until later in the week, the first day we went out on my uncle's boat and it was choppy and the visibility was poor, but we still had a great time! Despite the seas being not so great, they did clear up more through the week, so we got in several excellent reef dives =D I adore reefs, I could just spend hours looking at all the little details like the flamingo tongues and little christmas tree worms! And the local dive shop had the red underwater filter for my gopro, so my photos and videos don't have that greenish tint anymore! <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIu5ld7sZ3gtz0S1lHnPw-dEFYKnBjSrN2ioO-CFkiwF5ESmGFjg7LC9OR9KPBhC88yhnLYD7d35RJOZHXY8sV4Atse80qGdhoM2pavo3ehdpGEyZQvrijNsGn2D8rtkS2kqo75Aa7tU/s1600/G0020143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIu5ld7sZ3gtz0S1lHnPw-dEFYKnBjSrN2ioO-CFkiwF5ESmGFjg7LC9OR9KPBhC88yhnLYD7d35RJOZHXY8sV4Atse80qGdhoM2pavo3ehdpGEyZQvrijNsGn2D8rtkS2kqo75Aa7tU/s1600/G0020143.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPGNZ6ntU-hvZa8tMdNSn645YoTOCN6ngIxbRV0f6t148ZSF89piCmpEy-2pe8f_nk2mkZeVug6FxH_-zuAbnvAZdelEhncxDxFZKqsuuqsvx8skgWq8OA5eTmSvwbMUXJD_U5BP7Ej0/s1600/GOPR0590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPGNZ6ntU-hvZa8tMdNSn645YoTOCN6ngIxbRV0f6t148ZSF89piCmpEy-2pe8f_nk2mkZeVug6FxH_-zuAbnvAZdelEhncxDxFZKqsuuqsvx8skgWq8OA5eTmSvwbMUXJD_U5BP7Ej0/s1600/GOPR0590.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKTBj4LG0zPJ3BEuyDgzcOeGC5UGJ-05iksNocAmBkf2pwUUW9ykiYu3ARzoSWzKjdrPMmKzM4FpuZDRqmgd2HoPzoTpUNMIuzU5VMhqTBa5QTlUg1rCu1VRDNFoKOKGbiCUVldLYgfU/s1600/GOPR0739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKTBj4LG0zPJ3BEuyDgzcOeGC5UGJ-05iksNocAmBkf2pwUUW9ykiYu3ARzoSWzKjdrPMmKzM4FpuZDRqmgd2HoPzoTpUNMIuzU5VMhqTBa5QTlUg1rCu1VRDNFoKOKGbiCUVldLYgfU/s1600/GOPR0739.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfokPNznpTW_XOquSrekDAAY0WRD6ytj9qOvXSiCI-4hY9-hBRqXTn3k9EQzWLN8GDNHCCwbA5189Dk-FABd8BCIL3Hur8XEZDbdrRWnjRS_vukj0ZNNPgZZVvgWhz-zMtIjsmI3Pu0E/s1600/G0010866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfokPNznpTW_XOquSrekDAAY0WRD6ytj9qOvXSiCI-4hY9-hBRqXTn3k9EQzWLN8GDNHCCwbA5189Dk-FABd8BCIL3Hur8XEZDbdrRWnjRS_vukj0ZNNPgZZVvgWhz-zMtIjsmI3Pu0E/s1600/G0010866.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKTBj4LG0zPJ3BEuyDgzcOeGC5UGJ-05iksNocAmBkf2pwUUW9ykiYu3ARzoSWzKjdrPMmKzM4FpuZDRqmgd2HoPzoTpUNMIuzU5VMhqTBa5QTlUg1rCu1VRDNFoKOKGbiCUVldLYgfU/s1600/GOPR0739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYmfmejmAqreOekMgsWEYS3ATogWanwKVbu304eFYNuPcTpUUy-pYGsieGcPXu8lxEJwVsmWMdRylNvnvKnWrcpKFpYKTuQWsakJB5n0MvHiX3FoA5-_Ggx4q6jMdtYXLTJiDdrjJP1k/s1600/GOPR0719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYmfmejmAqreOekMgsWEYS3ATogWanwKVbu304eFYNuPcTpUUy-pYGsieGcPXu8lxEJwVsmWMdRylNvnvKnWrcpKFpYKTuQWsakJB5n0MvHiX3FoA5-_Ggx4q6jMdtYXLTJiDdrjJP1k/s1600/GOPR0719.jpg" height="160" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Since my muscle man only got scuba certified last year, we haven't really made any dive trips with other divers, so that was fun also. My uncle is an old pro, him and my dad have been divers longer than I've been alive, and his fiance is new at it like my muscle man. I'm nowhere near as comfortable or knowledgeable underwater as him, but it was fun that each couple had a veteran/novice dynamic, and my muscle man is convinced more than ever now that he wants to get advanced scuba training. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryohJM2zGtwaSLhWd4DABi9vok52aAeCK9xXLnNZcG1z-UoLaw632xiyn1slT1HLmaDWGamKi2j3MNrc1_hbE7kSrRvWnwPNiAA4AXINu2bNuOURjUQARQoQkRz2qm9_4bSFyr7gE3BU/s1600/G0121342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryohJM2zGtwaSLhWd4DABi9vok52aAeCK9xXLnNZcG1z-UoLaw632xiyn1slT1HLmaDWGamKi2j3MNrc1_hbE7kSrRvWnwPNiAA4AXINu2bNuOURjUQARQoQkRz2qm9_4bSFyr7gE3BU/s1600/G0121342.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIySyCaVldV203fFWJDaJaR6Sbaz5k5jdOQNrTnQETVdyTpWOta4ajVvP6wDnX4Of0n-AnDG7IKxl5PNyghfrvGYr_ARaSOsTUbHbMaMLhgqfa4pXiNT3l0bG6pJOZSDbRLJ009RHhXmU/s1600/G0010782.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIySyCaVldV203fFWJDaJaR6Sbaz5k5jdOQNrTnQETVdyTpWOta4ajVvP6wDnX4Of0n-AnDG7IKxl5PNyghfrvGYr_ARaSOsTUbHbMaMLhgqfa4pXiNT3l0bG6pJOZSDbRLJ009RHhXmU/s1600/G0010782.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW3KrF8O4ZJ8gdgdyFd1sVIvBGw4DpzhvNMtywHY3c5AjggG4Sy6cpEFflFn-55jDKjGGI1d-hFFAcygF6ldLuhjeZ209AgCnpqSPdRl2mk1iQOD7cQf30I_8KbmnJYvnZjEf3KpJW19M/s1600/G0071134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW3KrF8O4ZJ8gdgdyFd1sVIvBGw4DpzhvNMtywHY3c5AjggG4Sy6cpEFflFn-55jDKjGGI1d-hFFAcygF6ldLuhjeZ209AgCnpqSPdRl2mk1iQOD7cQf30I_8KbmnJYvnZjEf3KpJW19M/s1600/G0071134.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXqQyMDRH81gvHxqUV_DRm_eM1B0_KezACK4gcD4OF8aSz6PNBLhFNDK080fAXWGJwJVxbDLTpK56BtmSw6QNUNf0RvgUHCaGsrV_Zjov85pxYBVCjDcPoaZol4jK38A6ohbZVNj91Xk/s1600/G0081160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXqQyMDRH81gvHxqUV_DRm_eM1B0_KezACK4gcD4OF8aSz6PNBLhFNDK080fAXWGJwJVxbDLTpK56BtmSw6QNUNf0RvgUHCaGsrV_Zjov85pxYBVCjDcPoaZol4jK38A6ohbZVNj91Xk/s1600/G0081160.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24x_wTUvzlTtYztNgL2sFmYCgqPk-s7G2_uHClOtxERh_pAq-QDkHOozl6ODiS4nsEXPSaSETu0kXnNmczQQBQa03Dr5f3WL3l2bSOvzK194b7Q51cnrswE8jRDcPTySrYOqU6fTjCbo/s1600/G0010834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24x_wTUvzlTtYztNgL2sFmYCgqPk-s7G2_uHClOtxERh_pAq-QDkHOozl6ODiS4nsEXPSaSETu0kXnNmczQQBQa03Dr5f3WL3l2bSOvzK194b7Q51cnrswE8jRDcPTySrYOqU6fTjCbo/s1600/G0010834.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIZAOJdanGxDGrGLR0-lmI9qjTv-x6s8vTCZBk6odLn-fP22yvcDUHBfFS0NLhcslwH_6jf9LPOWQ9kf00CaSG8E-Hz0OzG65mDLO88p098DX9fpni96OEfhykqBMEQfLoaG2aIFqxME/s1600/G0051013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIZAOJdanGxDGrGLR0-lmI9qjTv-x6s8vTCZBk6odLn-fP22yvcDUHBfFS0NLhcslwH_6jf9LPOWQ9kf00CaSG8E-Hz0OzG65mDLO88p098DX9fpni96OEfhykqBMEQfLoaG2aIFqxME/s1600/G0051013.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
And naturally, no dive trip to the Florida Keys would be complete without a trip to Molasses reef to see the Christ of the Abyss statue. There were lots of snorkelers there which made for some cool pictures as well. The surrounding reef was very nice, though shallow, so many cool soft corals! <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSY2JuFqTr1qtiAHMvrZrTvRLIMIT5e7aki-YQsf7IuZTt12TZSdLhD5_-DgoTQS766InMv1KALqYOhv4jN1mmNvNytJHVSBWgZMGXhswVWOVrwpgPYRxMglKJ2SnMYLZvu9-Xx4V-KSo/s1600/G0020947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSY2JuFqTr1qtiAHMvrZrTvRLIMIT5e7aki-YQsf7IuZTt12TZSdLhD5_-DgoTQS766InMv1KALqYOhv4jN1mmNvNytJHVSBWgZMGXhswVWOVrwpgPYRxMglKJ2SnMYLZvu9-Xx4V-KSo/s1600/G0020947.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/-P_iNLWBb4I/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/-P_iNLWBb4I?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/-P_iNLWBb4I?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-a11pJqvQLFw%2FU0rd-9fJmjI%2FAAAAAAAACRM%2FE1pY5Bodj0U%2Fs1600%2FGOPR0739.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKTBj4LG0zPJ3BEuyDgzcOeGC5UGJ-05iksNocAmBkf2pwUUW9ykiYu3ARzoSWzKjdrPMmKzM4FpuZDRqmgd2HoPzoTpUNMIuzU5VMhqTBa5QTlUg1rCu1VRDNFoKOKGbiCUVldLYgfU/s1600/GOPR0739.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-7Vvdgbi1y7g%2FU0rdr-3jHlI%2FAAAAAAAACMI%2F1vUNgmv0NFE%2Fs1600%2FG0020947.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSY2JuFqTr1qtiAHMvrZrTvRLIMIT5e7aki-YQsf7IuZTt12TZSdLhD5_-DgoTQS766InMv1KALqYOhv4jN1mmNvNytJHVSBWgZMGXhswVWOVrwpgPYRxMglKJ2SnMYLZvu9-Xx4V-KSo/s1600/G0020947.jpg" -->Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-20374660634261230282014-04-07T21:48:00.000-05:002014-04-07T21:48:47.407-05:00Florida Keys (part 1- Fun on Land)My muscle man and I recently decided that we definitely deserved a spring break this year, and my uncle was gracious enough to offer for us to come stay with him in the keys for a while!! We had such an amazing week, between scuba diving and kayaking to just plain enjoying the touristy stuff, it was so much fun! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9S0HZjK1f26XaEDn_l6lp5oohZ-KEyGQLjo9w76qsEpXbCGIggXraCO7uKSzr-OQNNIAzKiYHxydH5GqaaENuKm-9KdWXwofJiR2NYU8IixWQf-SWz3k696vqG1xB2EKicujgC7B4bk/s1600/IMG_7356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9S0HZjK1f26XaEDn_l6lp5oohZ-KEyGQLjo9w76qsEpXbCGIggXraCO7uKSzr-OQNNIAzKiYHxydH5GqaaENuKm-9KdWXwofJiR2NYU8IixWQf-SWz3k696vqG1xB2EKicujgC7B4bk/s1600/IMG_7356.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
We were able to score a super cheap flight into Tampa, which is a nice little drive from the keys, but we figured it would be nice to drive through the everglades, plus even with the cost of a rental car it was still way cheaper than airfare to the keys or Miami. =) And it gave us an extra day to just sight-see before going into the keys. My muscle man is a huge "ancient aliens" fan, so when he found out our planned route was taking us straight to Homestead FL, he insisted we go to <a href="http://coralcastle.com/">Coral Castle</a>. It was a great little 1950's roadside attraction, and quite fun to look at all the neat stuff.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYRl7S3UvA_V_ka9Gs5GFipcAA65Z7NxSS7Tkr3hTOMfrf0tR3crvVcR9RBSIJPpnrgZw00TBfjjcgXb66l8x5eJUexkanPAJI8QfyRI_-2jkqs3UFW_Y6TFRioyEd1WIqUxk_BheFtU/s1600/IMG_7250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYRl7S3UvA_V_ka9Gs5GFipcAA65Z7NxSS7Tkr3hTOMfrf0tR3crvVcR9RBSIJPpnrgZw00TBfjjcgXb66l8x5eJUexkanPAJI8QfyRI_-2jkqs3UFW_Y6TFRioyEd1WIqUxk_BheFtU/s1600/IMG_7250.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The best thing about the place though was that they include a guided tour with your ticket, and the guy running the tours just makes a big loop, so you can join up whenever you arrive and just listen until you're back where you began =P<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62BVtDyDVj3Du72U9eTqBDQpuNxia2ZWy__R1a-BhFHr4dRJYFPenHhCB8VXCQWVK1HejPDVnhw-A-N_7n3eGAAIrc5hSLIyp1xbpN9RqWGcMo28JEGnnDIWqj-VA7XZKdJLgh7XpHMQ/s1600/IMG_7287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62BVtDyDVj3Du72U9eTqBDQpuNxia2ZWy__R1a-BhFHr4dRJYFPenHhCB8VXCQWVK1HejPDVnhw-A-N_7n3eGAAIrc5hSLIyp1xbpN9RqWGcMo28JEGnnDIWqj-VA7XZKdJLgh7XpHMQ/s1600/IMG_7287.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
And then, there's the obvious cool factor that they let you touch all
the creations, explore on your own, and they even encourage you to sit
in the chairs! (Sadly, the coolest thing to play with would have been the big-ass rock door that used to swing around like a turnstile, but it broke some time in the 80's and no one could seem to fix it... It's still remarkably incredible to look at, even if it doesn't rotate anymore)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1re0g_1AeMRCadvuxKoGSiv2w_esjPCYZpVSJOE8U0g6zmXv3bOthDF7HsCJutPpNbQtG7Z5LZEvfjuySFH8F75o_cci8Z1yKzHdrz5P6nGFTorsBsYyvdVxmuzHZMcgJCrUnpMI2rjo/s1600/IMG_7261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1re0g_1AeMRCadvuxKoGSiv2w_esjPCYZpVSJOE8U0g6zmXv3bOthDF7HsCJutPpNbQtG7Z5LZEvfjuySFH8F75o_cci8Z1yKzHdrz5P6nGFTorsBsYyvdVxmuzHZMcgJCrUnpMI2rjo/s1600/IMG_7261.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMsJ78MhHwWREfTiH705F5-xcX-k6rOjXdR5BWPmXzIFQiR-KiT7qKpHGKbzn-qus-h2RDKNSD0adWy_FhQHjEGJKYvpyC8QGujfkjotdgOZYHAnAgmlgfPcAINGjFxioYSMalrr8x9w/s1600/IMG_7264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMsJ78MhHwWREfTiH705F5-xcX-k6rOjXdR5BWPmXzIFQiR-KiT7qKpHGKbzn-qus-h2RDKNSD0adWy_FhQHjEGJKYvpyC8QGujfkjotdgOZYHAnAgmlgfPcAINGjFxioYSMalrr8x9w/s1600/IMG_7264.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0lvKjunHG7AfCOnxq1NioCX5iucFgKnudPm6JTaFCv8bbDC8tE2S6WSvgtai6kPHOV4N_MfJhgSHZ9omQQtC0GPEHCJPUX5NjOtCdNJ0Tby00flCMaA0p6cfLca6Pl9bREdZ2XXfjv0/s1600/IMG_7255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0lvKjunHG7AfCOnxq1NioCX5iucFgKnudPm6JTaFCv8bbDC8tE2S6WSvgtai6kPHOV4N_MfJhgSHZ9omQQtC0GPEHCJPUX5NjOtCdNJ0Tby00flCMaA0p6cfLca6Pl9bREdZ2XXfjv0/s1600/IMG_7255.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBVmbJU7CknLmctvqNKlbCzJMT4z_B-GV0GglVArocMat7trlnl26NcNTTahgbUXmiuYSeG994_GBLLGXwzCYHrvL6e6VeOG8yzxlemLyWY44w5hh0NIKWpOYptouQ00ePxZquVmjjgc/s1600/IMG_7279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBVmbJU7CknLmctvqNKlbCzJMT4z_B-GV0GglVArocMat7trlnl26NcNTTahgbUXmiuYSeG994_GBLLGXwzCYHrvL6e6VeOG8yzxlemLyWY44w5hh0NIKWpOYptouQ00ePxZquVmjjgc/s1600/IMG_7279.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rZeUNur2Cle_stBELn05CaddtmBl2in9Azo6Eh74feKyLf7s0Dhduv5t2bZ-g_QI5Y8G91nT-nOk-9AmJp8MRSF8BF2HvFipI0WF4fQzj0RkKdQAPlLIoQ91fkSDhY7cy1V917l1vIc/s1600/IMG_7266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rZeUNur2Cle_stBELn05CaddtmBl2in9Azo6Eh74feKyLf7s0Dhduv5t2bZ-g_QI5Y8G91nT-nOk-9AmJp8MRSF8BF2HvFipI0WF4fQzj0RkKdQAPlLIoQ91fkSDhY7cy1V917l1vIc/s1600/IMG_7266.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
We also made a stop by a little state park to check out the water, then it was off to the Keys bright and early the next day! Lucky for me, Dunkin was running a free iced coffee promotion, so I was able to get my caffeine on before the drive =D<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszcdvCKMMZ3LupYGr43hwlpSl5phFyyhPKw6ugtE1p5zI1HAkb9m9lfMG-ndF2G9baFfjUCTm1Q0IDuXx1LybxNfa8fw194fYSQvlpFFw-SiK7ajK-WaIGismJ3DPSQUC_UCNHeUVaxM/s1600/IMG_7296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszcdvCKMMZ3LupYGr43hwlpSl5phFyyhPKw6ugtE1p5zI1HAkb9m9lfMG-ndF2G9baFfjUCTm1Q0IDuXx1LybxNfa8fw194fYSQvlpFFw-SiK7ajK-WaIGismJ3DPSQUC_UCNHeUVaxM/s1600/IMG_7296.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
A few days later me and my muscle man decided to head down to Key West for the afternoon, and we happened to run into some key deer on the way! They are super cute, and coming from Alabama, deer here are cute but very deadly at 5-6 feet tall, these little key deer were just too darling, even if they were getting into trouble when we happened on them (they had found a trash can full of yummy things apparently, and tossed it over to enjoy the contents)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VzMB1clfakJ-UOWpc9zM0RRoUvjcWJDxjocsIp4q10-JkJbySO-o1hNJU8u982uPp51TMsOxPQ_imxUnv1OGVGSmlp8Hc-q_7-BrvRPXPSMEkgKfXT7UBSFNeEFmtRkVLbbq5OjKUpc/s1600/IMG_7314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VzMB1clfakJ-UOWpc9zM0RRoUvjcWJDxjocsIp4q10-JkJbySO-o1hNJU8u982uPp51TMsOxPQ_imxUnv1OGVGSmlp8Hc-q_7-BrvRPXPSMEkgKfXT7UBSFNeEFmtRkVLbbq5OjKUpc/s1600/IMG_7314.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBqLmypIw3h7wXmIYIDTrvdXYhp0pQLShyxhR2XhOZGJ6iKbuIWF8ImjquNolWvQLxEPOA6P8mUjGdwiS1XuL9N83BtE0IfA0ftfHCLK4Q1H-nlT4xbJEiHxfb97-s5KlZNYo0XvH7p0Q/s1600/IMG_7307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBqLmypIw3h7wXmIYIDTrvdXYhp0pQLShyxhR2XhOZGJ6iKbuIWF8ImjquNolWvQLxEPOA6P8mUjGdwiS1XuL9N83BtE0IfA0ftfHCLK4Q1H-nlT4xbJEiHxfb97-s5KlZNYo0XvH7p0Q/s1600/IMG_7307.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CnKmEFb98IP9ZVcFdN1XNZnJE5u8CWbiUhJO4wNaDebojQytOEXvju28N_272suob-VjQq6xPwHYsrDYz59h5NMyJP8xjRi1UbLgUSZ6DJMxo8ypwmYbxTA3NxCVHn-O5uayjdH-IWw/s1600/IMG_7320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CnKmEFb98IP9ZVcFdN1XNZnJE5u8CWbiUhJO4wNaDebojQytOEXvju28N_272suob-VjQq6xPwHYsrDYz59h5NMyJP8xjRi1UbLgUSZ6DJMxo8ypwmYbxTA3NxCVHn-O5uayjdH-IWw/s1600/IMG_7320.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBokTikONChwvpW_Pqen-GnJmSTWdCEIsNWUBQscT8pyHBUM6-7lWNFByNwAx0eg63UcpaCs8udkP-hU8_W2JiRhMTJ2xe3FVKwUiOZVF3rkvy6NrpCep01dpaqPBIOFy7j_ZXUeKKKc/s1600/IMG_7324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBokTikONChwvpW_Pqen-GnJmSTWdCEIsNWUBQscT8pyHBUM6-7lWNFByNwAx0eg63UcpaCs8udkP-hU8_W2JiRhMTJ2xe3FVKwUiOZVF3rkvy6NrpCep01dpaqPBIOFy7j_ZXUeKKKc/s1600/IMG_7324.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><br />
I convinced my muscle man to try conch fritters at lunch (I got the crab cakes, yum!) and then we were off to enjoy the island. We decided that the trains were all too expensive since we hadn't gotten into town until noon, so we just used my muscle man's smart phone to take ourselves on a walking tour from one side of the island to the other. We literally walked from one end of the island to the other and back again (hindsight, I totally should not have worn flip flops) but it was really a lot of fun to just take our time and enjoy the scenery.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQ-Td7ERf4UUpAtgrWyPG7LkwzD9C0ipXy1znIBl4fuCmSlOkjrY2DkUAd1hpvPgDh_Tkpd_APZI78P3-S5pwW10bz16MYDKtPxMIB_keH55uW3s4IBeJ9d2OsEwU13lDGe9kPnUFf84/s1600/IMG_7349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQ-Td7ERf4UUpAtgrWyPG7LkwzD9C0ipXy1znIBl4fuCmSlOkjrY2DkUAd1hpvPgDh_Tkpd_APZI78P3-S5pwW10bz16MYDKtPxMIB_keH55uW3s4IBeJ9d2OsEwU13lDGe9kPnUFf84/s1600/IMG_7349.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a>We had to go to the lighthouse, and of course had to climb to the top, even though I absolutely hate spiral staircases with an intense passion (they exasterbate my vertigo, so I have to go really slowly and I feel like I'm going to fall the whole time). The view was great, it's so fun to be able to see water all around!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7HiuC9bxHitBLfm3XsanpRr8Hc5A80KMC23GsyaIqnScSWy2BIqyUybeiz0LJob2xStRuscDJvjVZOZqNfxPUGglGG8Olw7edr96z4y1SIq3pq6lmLl-lrq_ngsm4TpqVyrdW8k-PTY/s1600/IMG_7345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7HiuC9bxHitBLfm3XsanpRr8Hc5A80KMC23GsyaIqnScSWy2BIqyUybeiz0LJob2xStRuscDJvjVZOZqNfxPUGglGG8Olw7edr96z4y1SIq3pq6lmLl-lrq_ngsm4TpqVyrdW8k-PTY/s1600/IMG_7345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7HiuC9bxHitBLfm3XsanpRr8Hc5A80KMC23GsyaIqnScSWy2BIqyUybeiz0LJob2xStRuscDJvjVZOZqNfxPUGglGG8Olw7edr96z4y1SIq3pq6lmLl-lrq_ngsm4TpqVyrdW8k-PTY/s1600/IMG_7345.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtXcycrnWBLSmX6UHobtGaKG8zhuqFflrJjfZFa2JngM55Ls3IdlfY3qSSnvJ74o8jCVdFgO_ISzuKMqfR3u7BhrvuQbazLIunl782HKdKKHSriM4zR181x3-KTBr3jC71aPTkbdlSKE/s1600/IMG_7329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtXcycrnWBLSmX6UHobtGaKG8zhuqFflrJjfZFa2JngM55Ls3IdlfY3qSSnvJ74o8jCVdFgO_ISzuKMqfR3u7BhrvuQbazLIunl782HKdKKHSriM4zR181x3-KTBr3jC71aPTkbdlSKE/s1600/IMG_7329.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCJTwYZSE9LsA4Bc9pa9cQwX_RBvTLUkL9O86rw_GBK3VLZLTgvWjtpUDdplD2ffHwBGJ-GzvhDoftxOs1sqFd2lmjF2pkcG3pd94IMljD6OI0-wqsyhht3bg7reAE_nutp9R35AM_AI/s1600/IMG_7346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCJTwYZSE9LsA4Bc9pa9cQwX_RBvTLUkL9O86rw_GBK3VLZLTgvWjtpUDdplD2ffHwBGJ-GzvhDoftxOs1sqFd2lmjF2pkcG3pd94IMljD6OI0-wqsyhht3bg7reAE_nutp9R35AM_AI/s1600/IMG_7346.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQVVG-YjXfGkOyXrYUub49nTZPryK0f0XJHaItlaYk-etJ5izAak6uvrcCnFmv_eR-uUEHgHqZgbublRJuoOZMHqPnWnyytH3FrlUoVnCV352xYY4djnDTrta6H6tJWgU1-vVSItetbw/s1600/IMG_7336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQVVG-YjXfGkOyXrYUub49nTZPryK0f0XJHaItlaYk-etJ5izAak6uvrcCnFmv_eR-uUEHgHqZgbublRJuoOZMHqPnWnyytH3FrlUoVnCV352xYY4djnDTrta6H6tJWgU1-vVSItetbw/s1600/IMG_7336.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
We definitely had a wonderful day out, but in the end we decided to skip the sunset and head back to the middle keys for the most awesome dinner ever... LIONFISH SUSHI... now that was an experience!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIpePFFfllGkaeywqwxO12BDPm-tqrP1GLUK7YATlmBsFT839DuDW0HS5bOFFSqlFNpmJnGMlMT6xonZjkOtnwiNF8tX5q1nE_08CcTnbJMMmaBQnX8u47lyPuoFZvVl51q2IEwwrWpg/s1600/IMG_7396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIpePFFfllGkaeywqwxO12BDPm-tqrP1GLUK7YATlmBsFT839DuDW0HS5bOFFSqlFNpmJnGMlMT6xonZjkOtnwiNF8tX5q1nE_08CcTnbJMMmaBQnX8u47lyPuoFZvVl51q2IEwwrWpg/s1600/IMG_7396.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Y2JmTmlJj7E%2FU0NZE7aCsnI%2FAAAAAAAACJ8%2FuR3HLtoeQWU%2Fs1600%2FIMG_7320.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CnKmEFb98IP9ZVcFdN1XNZnJE5u8CWbiUhJO4wNaDebojQytOEXvju28N_272suob-VjQq6xPwHYsrDYz59h5NMyJP8xjRi1UbLgUSZ6DJMxo8ypwmYbxTA3NxCVHn-O5uayjdH-IWw/s1600/IMG_7320.jpg" -->Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-29085722993520263902014-03-01T19:42:00.001-06:002014-03-09T15:31:12.646-05:00Bucket List: Cave Dives and Manatees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgczvSFpwJAUS7MaJbCdI7sY8eBp6dyba0Vy66-g2lRp1m16L2GQaWpUd8Wg3-Q2OfV5hr3ax3oXj9NmUm7heVEWH3URiDdsLl2o0u5z40rteFnZ5aGwfbO2D58H0wyJ3S_qpXjmkptc/s1600/GOPR0547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgczvSFpwJAUS7MaJbCdI7sY8eBp6dyba0Vy66-g2lRp1m16L2GQaWpUd8Wg3-Q2OfV5hr3ax3oXj9NmUm7heVEWH3URiDdsLl2o0u5z40rteFnZ5aGwfbO2D58H0wyJ3S_qpXjmkptc/s1600/GOPR0547.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
My muscle
man and I decided that his birthday weekend would be a great time to
take a little long weekend road trip! And since our roommate had Monday
off for Martin Luther King Day, he decided to tag along!! With the
recent cold snap, I figured that it would be a perfect time to go swim
with the Manatees in Crystal River Florida!! I've been before, but my
muscle man never has, and it's really such an awesome experience! Of
course, since it was his birthday, he decided we would also take a
diversion to a cavern about an hour away for a little scuba diving!<br />
<br />
There are actually two cave/cavern dive locations we had to choose from, Blue Grotto and Devil's Den. I've actually been to Blue Grotto before, and would have been my choice, but our roommate was with us and not a certified diver, so we decided Devil's Den gave him a cooler swim since he would be down in the cave with us. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgJqe175NuoogogwsOfHKg3nASVTuiUmGcRm1mGDieOofOg6ORltvnoCRTaqWD57SjPFqP3z28ESS0qtAHQaQD4RQEWHT0mE4nnXSmZVvNpuHbvWxEZ8P_FVYi7G1qcQsTfeNSX6HLf8/s1600/GOPR0537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgJqe175NuoogogwsOfHKg3nASVTuiUmGcRm1mGDieOofOg6ORltvnoCRTaqWD57SjPFqP3z28ESS0qtAHQaQD4RQEWHT0mE4nnXSmZVvNpuHbvWxEZ8P_FVYi7G1qcQsTfeNSX6HLf8/s1600/GOPR0537.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>This was my our first time diving in an overhead environment, which is admittedly a little more dangerous than I would normally venture, but my muscle man was set on it! So after some assurance from the proprietor that it was safe so long as we stayed in the main chamber we were ready to suit up and dive in. Our roommate stayed at the surface and snorkeled while we went into the icy water, it was quite the experience! I mostly got video inside the cave since our GoPro isn't the best at still photography, especially in a darkened cave.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/p-tVMN961ro?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
After our dive, we found the best little local restaurant, they had the most amazing rice-cereal breaded chicken! And mac-n-cheese! And sweet tea in massive mason jars, of course haha! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8PA6N0qQk565l-c1TrtXRaaOhR-ChyqUXGDOBE1nS8nFXn89D65WkMugCiA4sJkdoKe81xCd79wDxHCjXX-gmISnzNeOKOAvTFOR5T2O4DMIq6P6LkVFUZYYFXhZsAouK0QHl8ANw-E/s1600/IMG_6135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8PA6N0qQk565l-c1TrtXRaaOhR-ChyqUXGDOBE1nS8nFXn89D65WkMugCiA4sJkdoKe81xCd79wDxHCjXX-gmISnzNeOKOAvTFOR5T2O4DMIq6P6LkVFUZYYFXhZsAouK0QHl8ANw-E/s1600/IMG_6135.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4Z4SfDxhfl2F1254NviJC1ZE_leUp7Em8ylVjiW6OSmZeCjnb41UGTsaPt2HUJpmEmWE-nkVE-Fzyf5RojEMHl7NGHGK9kKpmxVglPHjmYQo3irTCsMjdUDNPpcoEDpLa_VuPqbjLw8/s1600/IMG_6133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4Z4SfDxhfl2F1254NviJC1ZE_leUp7Em8ylVjiW6OSmZeCjnb41UGTsaPt2HUJpmEmWE-nkVE-Fzyf5RojEMHl7NGHGK9kKpmxVglPHjmYQo3irTCsMjdUDNPpcoEDpLa_VuPqbjLw8/s1600/IMG_6133.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We spent the rest of the afternoon at Rainbow Springs park, which happened to be on the way between Devil's Den and Crystal River. It was such a cool park, and we were able to bring the puppy with us for some exercise after she had to spend the morning in her kennel in the hotel waiting for us to dive and enjoy lunch. Not only was the park positively gorgeous, our puppy loved it, and was so happy to have so many trails to lead us down into the marshes. We thought about going back the next day for a swim, since the hot springs feed into the river it makes the water quite warm, but never quite got around to it. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVM5iJTn-mHsTQjeCIsj-skiez-MHDNuveMzazBqjLVHn96BWIqY2FEUP76CD6-Pf6p2WbRR7KlAF4FpjwG1XTvAJT2GgvyFc7hu9oXZPtRLCpAdPyr4enWoXr-1rVt-L9q9VOlsbpD4/s1600/IMG_6246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZ6oS09ECGFPbYolaoATgFqgtypET_5mEJoP9zLjt6fdBIBUT1VZnA905_j3O6GDySUjxiLDDY4HOC4Xaqd8vXPa6kX4JJYDvUqrV7175XOkRFnmM0C0gyWeXiFVfH04mf9A9JPE6C1c/s1600/IMG_6141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZ6oS09ECGFPbYolaoATgFqgtypET_5mEJoP9zLjt6fdBIBUT1VZnA905_j3O6GDySUjxiLDDY4HOC4Xaqd8vXPa6kX4JJYDvUqrV7175XOkRFnmM0C0gyWeXiFVfH04mf9A9JPE6C1c/s1600/IMG_6141.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaga_Eu92ouYuwqllahuymAmR8Rg8lx7gv2KCXZ7AXRW3_z8j7SjvDjn1mPMVL07NM_I2UeUD54QPZiU4GRC0PUuyR9eLnxT5GTnMnZ4xRsfSUnFpot61lI-itYpNhzMMKuQki8ADQUY/s1600/IMG_6139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaga_Eu92ouYuwqllahuymAmR8Rg8lx7gv2KCXZ7AXRW3_z8j7SjvDjn1mPMVL07NM_I2UeUD54QPZiU4GRC0PUuyR9eLnxT5GTnMnZ4xRsfSUnFpot61lI-itYpNhzMMKuQki8ADQUY/s1600/IMG_6139.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUWErh1rLgtdvkgU3jQSdYsE5o5r-TZXvYKXiOYqQjkCwFSPiAydyO7SjpEPy5X5yFk5U83X9DHmbbKEuaXL8xBcfWEJV5lBH9vvB0ND8WEl854arKnoqzHLp2UxBMJdDvzOEW12jZ_ZA/s1600/IMG_6148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUWErh1rLgtdvkgU3jQSdYsE5o5r-TZXvYKXiOYqQjkCwFSPiAydyO7SjpEPy5X5yFk5U83X9DHmbbKEuaXL8xBcfWEJV5lBH9vvB0ND8WEl854arKnoqzHLp2UxBMJdDvzOEW12jZ_ZA/s1600/IMG_6148.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFQFTdVXtmiKKmjNTd5530YKbmuB59IX6bNFcMUhU5TZKFWACSU3MNr5M9hM1B2DKQ250LV-xWm7bAX5-Lp7KojDmj_TuPI-OWev41kHfGPzkvhmFIyAcpVh3ngr2-5FDKCA3zr0AO54/s1600/IMG_6140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFQFTdVXtmiKKmjNTd5530YKbmuB59IX6bNFcMUhU5TZKFWACSU3MNr5M9hM1B2DKQ250LV-xWm7bAX5-Lp7KojDmj_TuPI-OWev41kHfGPzkvhmFIyAcpVh3ngr2-5FDKCA3zr0AO54/s1600/IMG_6140.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Sunday we set out for our manatee tour at day break, and we all felt quite a bit stupid knowing we were about an hour away from jumping into water, considering that there was frost on our car windows! Lucky for us, the river is hot-spring fed, which is why the manatees come into the water in the first place... So the cold was actually good, it would mean more manatees wanted in the warmer water! The sun warmed things a bit, but man the water still stung, even when we got closer to the spring. But the manatees were amazing, my muscle man and our roommate were both like little giggly girls when they started seeing them hehe! And there were a few little pups that were just so cute and so curious, it was so fun and really worth the near hypothermia =P<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrxN-aaLQkDn_pMwI0skXSSmlaVIwNrBf2Q47l-o3nw6iT0XG971jSKFXYyEs-ArtJ-ePfOjKYAcDsNymu8XTqlJ3mcV8WsJw5ktNePSO5kU3lOIJLw2l5Lj5B1ngzcphL6vwDobSUOc/s1600/GOPR0570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrxN-aaLQkDn_pMwI0skXSSmlaVIwNrBf2Q47l-o3nw6iT0XG971jSKFXYyEs-ArtJ-ePfOjKYAcDsNymu8XTqlJ3mcV8WsJw5ktNePSO5kU3lOIJLw2l5Lj5B1ngzcphL6vwDobSUOc/s1600/GOPR0570.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9qD4BFbVRh_SrtXVFzPJ5hiBWNy3BgVzIu1w2-DRBwzrilp9K0qvpnVzGqmyXxLFML-yDY5JvJarJOw-Iqoftlr3KIhMmI8XwuFe_V4OxcqnyI-ZT_9QzEbQPcAcGBet3KT-4MpdeFw/s1600/GOPR0573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9qD4BFbVRh_SrtXVFzPJ5hiBWNy3BgVzIu1w2-DRBwzrilp9K0qvpnVzGqmyXxLFML-yDY5JvJarJOw-Iqoftlr3KIhMmI8XwuFe_V4OxcqnyI-ZT_9QzEbQPcAcGBet3KT-4MpdeFw/s1600/GOPR0573.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/V92e28vpdr4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
There were some great trails in the Crystal River area, so we decided to
spend the afternoon hiking with the puppy, thankfully it had warmed up
quite a bit since our frosty morning, and the sun was awesome at raising
our spirits and capping off a great little weekend getaway!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi64o7CW74Fq1Fz9D-tPhWxhCbIvsV7W65QVGdgz9iemysmsfsR871S1wL73dd4RUVHE4pPIlYFjzYv8cRZ6w_-n-j4lOLunT5N2cxLVmIws2caT2KyM1EcubxLLnplglUuVT5tEN_KtCo/s1600/IMG_6214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi64o7CW74Fq1Fz9D-tPhWxhCbIvsV7W65QVGdgz9iemysmsfsR871S1wL73dd4RUVHE4pPIlYFjzYv8cRZ6w_-n-j4lOLunT5N2cxLVmIws2caT2KyM1EcubxLLnplglUuVT5tEN_KtCo/s1600/IMG_6214.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbIUdyU1xyo7tQBdTb-rJgw2TGqUFRKt1s-5ETUJ-PnDrwCXwF4jnb3VWSPODMiFHAgjmrVhbbCP5xYOrRvfetsX69w3CBSsxkGo4IKEafgfcNxsmSt97Tv7dpFBlY77R5K3J68npnxg/s1600/IMG_6192small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqzjvsv6vvrURqagIQMQCI7XwU5TrPjbAnuSubWGpDr742ztLpWPfC8OJMzG5lfsQqUJiV0K7WXi6YPI9PbBHiswkCrefW8OGDSr6dkgBJ81h8ID5P1uJjxfb8npCQQ8bGhbJBnwKQVY/s1600/IMG_6218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqzjvsv6vvrURqagIQMQCI7XwU5TrPjbAnuSubWGpDr742ztLpWPfC8OJMzG5lfsQqUJiV0K7WXi6YPI9PbBHiswkCrefW8OGDSr6dkgBJ81h8ID5P1uJjxfb8npCQQ8bGhbJBnwKQVY/s1600/IMG_6218.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbIUdyU1xyo7tQBdTb-rJgw2TGqUFRKt1s-5ETUJ-PnDrwCXwF4jnb3VWSPODMiFHAgjmrVhbbCP5xYOrRvfetsX69w3CBSsxkGo4IKEafgfcNxsmSt97Tv7dpFBlY77R5K3J68npnxg/s1600/IMG_6192small.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw1bORIFwN9J2vJVmS80SC6PFq_wpWiIAozlhKF3pASG2XJfGRc5qQSiuAEnqaQkvP8dbhfRZnANsA4c8WEyeKkkn6t3un1xUQvqE5AboiMpZvaoZeSDu67OOne59DTWlKxsUG3OsGP4/s1600/IMG_6242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw1bORIFwN9J2vJVmS80SC6PFq_wpWiIAozlhKF3pASG2XJfGRc5qQSiuAEnqaQkvP8dbhfRZnANsA4c8WEyeKkkn6t3un1xUQvqE5AboiMpZvaoZeSDu67OOne59DTWlKxsUG3OsGP4/s1600/IMG_6242.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-53171880358255808232014-01-29T18:22:00.000-06:002014-03-09T15:31:32.378-05:00Sleeping at work? I'd like to never do that again please. Alabama is one of those places that usually shuts down at the hint of
bad weather. And why, you ask, do they do that? Because the absurdly
crazy reports on the news today of abandoned cars, shut down interstates, and
people stranded in all manner of places (work, shelters, cars,
stranger's houses...) Birmingham is simply not prepared for any type of
winter weather, much less a freak of nature snow storm in the middle of
the day, so yesterday when it became clear the snow was sticking,
EVERYONE tried to leave the city at the exact same moment. The worst
possible moment to be leaving, when the snow was just melting under the
warm ground and causing ice to form under the fresh snow that was
falling...I found myself one of the lucky ones who was stuck at work,
and even luckier, I was with my muscle man! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kf2K1avM3kZhsabrzrUnseWzKEwkqrZoWt96OFwt3KYO8HRHIdGmjoQkur1Y0c6mazJyLEHu9D2HOl52VH-p77LRMyG_yyl6FVzbYKDXMhKH2vgSrZM7IXpss0Dz1ezu21lJ8aQzhIo/s1600/WP_20140128_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kf2K1avM3kZhsabrzrUnseWzKEwkqrZoWt96OFwt3KYO8HRHIdGmjoQkur1Y0c6mazJyLEHu9D2HOl52VH-p77LRMyG_yyl6FVzbYKDXMhKH2vgSrZM7IXpss0Dz1ezu21lJ8aQzhIo/s1600/WP_20140128_002.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
We carpool, so when the
weather started turning sour, we decided to try to get out of town and
home to our dogs. 2 hours later, and nearly out of gas, we had only
moved 3/4 of a mile from my work. So we found a parking lot and walked
back to my work, where there was at least food (and lots of booze, my ceo's were stuck too, along with a dozen or so coworkers). We thought about trying again before the sun
set, since we hadn't been able to get in touch with our neighbors and no
one was home to feed the dogs, but our better judgement told us to just
stay put, worst case scenario we would wind up with hungry, upset dogs when we finally were able to get home. Thankfully, the neighbors came through and had their kids come feed the dogs (that sentence doesn't do justice the difficulty that task was, but I'll leave it at that for brevity). So now, with my bosses out to get more food for the evening, we slowly started accepting that we would have to sleep in my office. Great.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJBe3gqKy5YemR4JmKQPBqP22Ykfc8BwmDiFYej0K7Si2pWkC6e_gww_TOL37a9TylNhNraJmkeDxYxyGQoQ7oEjvcl_i2uHRFyjmqvB53UQzoyi4Y_SBuguuY2qIyFV1Dnx9Q2E2NfY/s1600/WP_20140129_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJBe3gqKy5YemR4JmKQPBqP22Ykfc8BwmDiFYej0K7Si2pWkC6e_gww_TOL37a9TylNhNraJmkeDxYxyGQoQ7oEjvcl_i2uHRFyjmqvB53UQzoyi4Y_SBuguuY2qIyFV1Dnx9Q2E2NfY/s1600/WP_20140129_001.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I've at least got a decent size office, with a locking door, and we had grabbed some blankets before we left the car, and I keep a stash of jackets and sweaters at work that along with a chair cushion became makeshift pillows, so not the worst set up. But still... It's work... So it was quite the sleepless night, plus we knew that we would want to try to leave as SOON as the roads cleared, otherwise we would be in the chaos of all the other workbound refugees trying to get home. All night I would wake up and check the traffic website, only to hear reports of all lanes blocked due to an accident or abandoned vehicles. But finally, just after the sun rose, it looked better than it had all night. The interstate we use was still delayed in downtown, but it looked like if you could just make it down far enough before getting onto the interstate it would be smooth sailing, and off we went into the cold to pick up the car, get gas and try our luck.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Since both of us hate normal traffic, we already know quite a few back roads to avoid the interstate, so after some very creative navigation and at least 3 "uh oh, not this way" u-turns, we arrived on the interstate to find that not only was our theory correct and NO ONE was on the road, but that the ice/snow was melted where cars had been trekking all night, and the single melted strip wasn't terribly slick. (again, for brevity's sake, I'm leaving out details, but it is worth mentioning we felt bad breaking gov't prompts to stay off roads except in emergencies, but the cop that rode in front of us for 4 miles didn't seem to mind us driving. Plus we figured a big dog stuck outside in the cold, a puppy who's never been alone overnight, and an old dog who acts out when he's not happy kinda qualified as an emergency) <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00TWvB3q09d6hSI7BkUW8emn3H-NtkkwrEVMUe6aDtx39Be2EEp-gnybJpNyFCUzA8xFZj5BWWQ31dWxpbYyi96R18pFAbQJCRPEM9T3gLPShgomR312jnV4bQkbjEx_56QsHU3o3ZBU/s1600/WP_20140129_005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00TWvB3q09d6hSI7BkUW8emn3H-NtkkwrEVMUe6aDtx39Be2EEp-gnybJpNyFCUzA8xFZj5BWWQ31dWxpbYyi96R18pFAbQJCRPEM9T3gLPShgomR312jnV4bQkbjEx_56QsHU3o3ZBU/s1600/WP_20140129_005.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
Once we were off the interstate, it's thankfully just a few turns to our house, on pretty major roads. So the ice wasn't very bad there, although it was definitely in worse shape than the interstate, and would have been very dangerous had my muscle man not known what he was doing (we passed 3 or 4 cars in a very deep ditch just before our subdivision). I was so excited to finally be home I could hardly contain myself. When we pulled into the driveway I just literally started jumping up and down in the driveway like a little school girl! We could finally enjoy some of this gorgeous snow, and better yet, take our little snow puppy out into it! I know that's petty, but I don't have a kid, and our puppy is pretty darned cute and has never experienced snow =P And most importantly, we were home! Not stranded, not stuck, not wrecked, and not stuck for another night in an office or shelter or some other place that's not home. As for the dogs, they are all quite fine now, and yes, our little snow dog definitely had a great time playing in the yard! =D <br />
<br />
What an interesting two days to say the least!! So glad to be able to end it on such a happy note! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/CfGo1wCeaAk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-86152063100793124242013-11-17T19:52:00.000-06:002013-11-17T19:53:02.760-06:00Bucket List: Spur of the Moment Vacay<br />
This summer took quite a while to pick up speed it seems, we didn't get out much during the first of the summer due to colder and rainier than usual climates... So once we got started, we really took the bull by the horns and have had a blast making up for a dreary summer this fall! <br />
<br />
My parents were taking a fall vacation too, and so on their way back, we decided to meet them for a few days in Chattanooga, TN. We couldn't leave without going to the aquarium, and with my love of everything underwater, I was definitely loving it!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJD0afVQE5m1sc17HlP_74OtpnAExj6jubjBs71Y8ciJuAzkyUtdnnH7nP-az-f7N3oOpGV034d_AwqJaC0f9psdAzMvQ-GuLjWi_gDJozNjFJhNIYgrI2OKKAnhAS-h2Gm8gEt9RgxY/s1600/IMG_4286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJD0afVQE5m1sc17HlP_74OtpnAExj6jubjBs71Y8ciJuAzkyUtdnnH7nP-az-f7N3oOpGV034d_AwqJaC0f9psdAzMvQ-GuLjWi_gDJozNjFJhNIYgrI2OKKAnhAS-h2Gm8gEt9RgxY/s320/IMG_4286.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
My muscle man was super excited about the penguin exhibit, and he had lots of fun making the penguins chase his hand down the glass! Those little guys were super fast, I barely got a good shot at all haha! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy87AlVgy3MfG-tGkBTuv7Ciq_ceWIVthYhSDZWEmsn_MDHJh6AR1wGNeB65T48mE72lfMncHbl1IqbzvrqVNO_CkyLgAYIhybM0fahAw_0iUCBtezic83zxnmJ9NFty4OyfyggKhzpkk/s1600/IMG_4298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy87AlVgy3MfG-tGkBTuv7Ciq_ceWIVthYhSDZWEmsn_MDHJh6AR1wGNeB65T48mE72lfMncHbl1IqbzvrqVNO_CkyLgAYIhybM0fahAw_0iUCBtezic83zxnmJ9NFty4OyfyggKhzpkk/s320/IMG_4298.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMv78f_nloBforp7QhbvqCInRwqNHVvKcGWcSD_l33B0xLqJCdBqmvWgQiaGJsX5NpulofRgfHubeDkibjs0g0U_pNyNfr8tkM2WTGRrNJ2PYo6HWEV_O-gjFJ7sGpshRo7ekqhcmwO8/s1600/IMG_4291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMv78f_nloBforp7QhbvqCInRwqNHVvKcGWcSD_l33B0xLqJCdBqmvWgQiaGJsX5NpulofRgfHubeDkibjs0g0U_pNyNfr8tkM2WTGRrNJ2PYo6HWEV_O-gjFJ7sGpshRo7ekqhcmwO8/s320/IMG_4291.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDImQEWzuBUANdKiNWwmdyOhXC4e_UufMhxZCdCbi_hXkczgBr9K2aRER8odOZt9tHMSiamm1y0Opp5CuOggrmpXHeO0AO33kQHMItJcCBqGs6mQpuBDq4sYRaiga6jhaOMOQuAAc8mPs/s1600/IMG_4317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDImQEWzuBUANdKiNWwmdyOhXC4e_UufMhxZCdCbi_hXkczgBr9K2aRER8odOZt9tHMSiamm1y0Opp5CuOggrmpXHeO0AO33kQHMItJcCBqGs6mQpuBDq4sYRaiga6jhaOMOQuAAc8mPs/s320/IMG_4317.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
And of course, there were sharks! We stumbled on the big tank while they were doing a fish feeding show with a diver in the tank, so the fish were super active and we were able to watch from a side window since we didn't much care for watching the diver, we just wanted to see the fishies!! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
But my favorite was the jellyfish exhibits!! </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh929KsP7K1IbjxzYwxg0ovg6moCGFdpblwbnnRey4hdUg2bLgeNqNpCJXoIH-vvfdlPH95kRCJ_u1BpOriuAWZzGlxw1bSOwOt2a8T2pNe-Tompji34nE7vVaUnXiEUGd0GJmCwOsUBGE/s1600/IMG_4345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh929KsP7K1IbjxzYwxg0ovg6moCGFdpblwbnnRey4hdUg2bLgeNqNpCJXoIH-vvfdlPH95kRCJ_u1BpOriuAWZzGlxw1bSOwOt2a8T2pNe-Tompji34nE7vVaUnXiEUGd0GJmCwOsUBGE/s320/IMG_4345.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8pQ_GjQX1PYTlcvA8nbekr0R2VBIObw0g9jbpprui8IKRNnAXYbUKCqdz7mM_ACiClVtvdkXu20AKUbHIJmoIAwQ0KiajVKaW1J-UpYJxgD-lls4ODyitFLqgArYfEmOwWh_iywfiy0/s1600/IMG_4356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8pQ_GjQX1PYTlcvA8nbekr0R2VBIObw0g9jbpprui8IKRNnAXYbUKCqdz7mM_ACiClVtvdkXu20AKUbHIJmoIAwQ0KiajVKaW1J-UpYJxgD-lls4ODyitFLqgArYfEmOwWh_iywfiy0/s320/IMG_4356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6V3M_JjN7w_N3e79mOaAknbGG-PnXNP-PkWlRzj0dNVQuQNKNS2Op-N4KmMwpmkJfRnp-48z5vIuW7vPks7iUCeHALsiK5zYtdxUa4-wSLghyphenhyphenIQmPkCeDDRPlIUD2v6_oRpr6HKMS-4/s1600/IMG_4370+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6V3M_JjN7w_N3e79mOaAknbGG-PnXNP-PkWlRzj0dNVQuQNKNS2Op-N4KmMwpmkJfRnp-48z5vIuW7vPks7iUCeHALsiK5zYtdxUa4-wSLghyphenhyphenIQmPkCeDDRPlIUD2v6_oRpr6HKMS-4/s320/IMG_4370+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Quite an enjoyable little weekend trip for me and my muscle man, and definitely helped make up for the rather blah start to our summer... So at least we were able to end the warmer weather season on a high note! (We're not tied to school schedules, so "summer" for us runs from when you pack the sweaters away until you break them back out again =P So this mid-October trip makes our summer list haha! ) <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDc4zB0tQuRRtbTfBgvWsmwqk22U83MiIqqnAZ23razJSaLiFrgZWA73j-_D9uu-bOj1c8AVL5QiMHKRW3IIJa4d7rKWEUlI5VpT8KYelOmYqfHuf0LZXLq6qb2t2cngmin1-mOJMgjU/s1600/IMG_4399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDc4zB0tQuRRtbTfBgvWsmwqk22U83MiIqqnAZ23razJSaLiFrgZWA73j-_D9uu-bOj1c8AVL5QiMHKRW3IIJa4d7rKWEUlI5VpT8KYelOmYqfHuf0LZXLq6qb2t2cngmin1-mOJMgjU/s320/IMG_4399.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-91828684962769936082013-10-06T16:54:00.000-05:002013-10-06T16:55:30.509-05:00Cozumel: Scuba DivingMy muscle man and I had a fabulous trip to Cozumel Mexico recently, and while there was so much more awesomeness than just the SCUBA diving, that was definitely one of the highlights of our trip! We did 4 morning boat trips (two dives each) and were lucky enough that 3 of those days we had a dive master to ourselves! The first two days there was a very nice Japanese lady on the boat, but she had a private dive master so my muscle man and I had a different guide for just the two of us. I say she was nice because despite her very limited english, she was able to tell my muscle man he had a very pretty wife, so that makes her awesome in my book! =D<br />
<br />
The diving itself was fabulous, we were slightly worried because for pretty much a full month prior to our visit it had been rainy and stormy in the mayan riviera. But the water was super clear, and I think the storms clearing actually made the marine life more active. I'm so glad that at the last minute we decided to purchase a gopro camera (instead of my little 35mm underwater film camera that's over 10 years old). So we were able to get some amazing footage of all the cool things we saw! I took the reins on the camera for most of the trip, I'm more comfortable as a scuba diver, and there's that whole film school degree I have that my muscle man doesn't haha...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/PjZpEIM4IDY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-4948242505469825422013-09-15T11:42:00.000-05:002013-09-15T11:42:28.553-05:002nd Anniversary: Back in Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
My muscle man and I decided that for our anniversary, we wanted to do something a little special. But since the day fell during crazy busy times at work for both of us, our options were kind of limited. We couldn't take a day off or even a half day to enjoy ourselves, so we figured the next best thing would be to eliminate our hour long commute and stay in the city for an evening. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZo38nKrVJGWk1NRLIAnkaEpSCzG_-TuZ11dGapYO27O-5WVYO8J2c4PnlvDGsXzxaY_mAyyjCpxkgnVhbwKXcIoeYObDyA8TKD2yR49UJs3OgeSaUF1vR9NeFcQTc63Mz0qZL18sPBxk/s1600/cobblane20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZo38nKrVJGWk1NRLIAnkaEpSCzG_-TuZ11dGapYO27O-5WVYO8J2c4PnlvDGsXzxaY_mAyyjCpxkgnVhbwKXcIoeYObDyA8TKD2yR49UJs3OgeSaUF1vR9NeFcQTc63Mz0qZL18sPBxk/s320/cobblane20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
But seeing as how we are very much not urban creatures, spending an evening in a swanky high rise just isn't my thing. We were lucky enough to find a bed and breakfast only a few blocks away from our work, and we thought that would be an absolutely perfect option! <a href="http://www.cobblanebandb.com/">(link)</a> So I called and booked us a room for our honeymoon night, figuring we could at least get off work and relax for a few hours without having to deal with traffic!The room was super cute, there was this toile canopy over the iron bed, and there was even a TV tucked away in the armoire! <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip03lQRwPM2MjDwvrxwpRrQxApIRlvoEaSd1PV_fz_x1oQcSsWXx34Q-p46epqmDqgEZkcqooKVYo38kuvGTQblTyeqygvm3hCgV3MW59JaiESRtwnVBjV8OxvmsM49gYrg4YqeIaaSTs/s1600/cobblane5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip03lQRwPM2MjDwvrxwpRrQxApIRlvoEaSd1PV_fz_x1oQcSsWXx34Q-p46epqmDqgEZkcqooKVYo38kuvGTQblTyeqygvm3hCgV3MW59JaiESRtwnVBjV8OxvmsM49gYrg4YqeIaaSTs/s320/cobblane5.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SCT7XS5rbWp9Hmf9DvrVZnKogwmJGL02iiy1PhZ9VtJF2CemKDCvylC2Zix1uGksvxngRqQ1kAwMauIzNynWRpMvk-JM0n2O37mviEBgaxu0sa_rgqcWWX38lXdgtjxD-gBYAyYn44U/s1600/cobblane4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SCT7XS5rbWp9Hmf9DvrVZnKogwmJGL02iiy1PhZ9VtJF2CemKDCvylC2Zix1uGksvxngRqQ1kAwMauIzNynWRpMvk-JM0n2O37mviEBgaxu0sa_rgqcWWX38lXdgtjxD-gBYAyYn44U/s320/cobblane4.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46Pe3FcnDeRtsQcnI5Xti9eAW8zZo2nCkzadgQcBFApjSmCPWuhGwzVbP8TV1z2FoByCvu9LwdWEz8mVHYF2zye4YPU7Y6uucaSkn53Q8RByXhpxPK9_Xurf-rpOhrORZSLiKZXoytX0/s1600/cobblane18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46Pe3FcnDeRtsQcnI5Xti9eAW8zZo2nCkzadgQcBFApjSmCPWuhGwzVbP8TV1z2FoByCvu9LwdWEz8mVHYF2zye4YPU7Y6uucaSkn53Q8RByXhpxPK9_Xurf-rpOhrORZSLiKZXoytX0/s320/cobblane18.jpg" width="214" /></a>After we took a little tour of the house (gorgeous!) we headed off to find some dinner. There's several dozen awesome restaurants only a few blocks away in Birmingham's 5 points area, so we had several choices in front of us, ranging from fast food to 5 star gourmet... We chose a great little sushi bar and lucked up with early bird specials, haha we like food, but we're super cheap =P Then it was back to the hotel for some relaxing time! TV for my muscle man, and a nice bath for me!! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezYA0bRu3IUZFoYVyb92VyUC1F6-sXunExm-hJiLqDpZaFsKs84ikflcM-du3xYMmdn5Jp-io5b0h2QlrYduzFEIp3Xmrup7Bi-6fXBE6At0ZCtTKryZz-Konw_gBaWUR5k2dE7EK0v8/s1600/cobblane2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezYA0bRu3IUZFoYVyb92VyUC1F6-sXunExm-hJiLqDpZaFsKs84ikflcM-du3xYMmdn5Jp-io5b0h2QlrYduzFEIp3Xmrup7Bi-6fXBE6At0ZCtTKryZz-Konw_gBaWUR5k2dE7EK0v8/s320/cobblane2.jpg" width="214" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLpC6zq3gRSs_U_4BZfV-rho82BIlMVfuK9i-GKAAeyCZB9xOlnsclbGs2F4NDymp9Y2PHLfI9uHfXzBGA67lZ0EyJhsUj6Pb1afupnNtzpasp9NDysI6llaPg0hweY50nom_fW4YhL8/s320/cobblane1.jpg" width="214" /></div>
<br />
<br />
I was super excited when I booked our room that it had a restored clawfoot tub, so of course I couldn't resist a nice long soak! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK64SE90l1e-3-X5AsT2us5rgn4Vjc40THJkxsna-leR_qgP9wFhac7oBikoncoXaq2mSx4ih8uutHLE-y2_kqyHM2VDBNlFJd8VkpZLBdVFUQcBTi4ewM0e6O9J6IxVw2KGe_Y5ksUSQ/s1600/cobblane3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6i4FBnDPRItNd0QGQr_VcHBEIURghAc3VMwBTIQTXJtnTRYvXnKGW1hPwjkdA-1NQe1Ywh_bnHYn8yIjf805_eD9SzIJjJRx9X2awVbf4V06WWZMEe9GfQrSa89k5_xVm5kliTwqhlt8/s1600/cobblane10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6i4FBnDPRItNd0QGQr_VcHBEIURghAc3VMwBTIQTXJtnTRYvXnKGW1hPwjkdA-1NQe1Ywh_bnHYn8yIjf805_eD9SzIJjJRx9X2awVbf4V06WWZMEe9GfQrSa89k5_xVm5kliTwqhlt8/s320/cobblane10.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUo2G_bT0-F-XusFKIlgZUeUuMBnpH1pbJPFuRZeDi3Qc_U46RNj0WSczc7O9Fgp_wHs2ur3gzdwKiRBgDQs5OPLcROieQSsEAkTUySAya5em10VJpZjFmYq1RreRzyd6VEzw6hVS8jA/s1600/cobblane8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUo2G_bT0-F-XusFKIlgZUeUuMBnpH1pbJPFuRZeDi3Qc_U46RNj0WSczc7O9Fgp_wHs2ur3gzdwKiRBgDQs5OPLcROieQSsEAkTUySAya5em10VJpZjFmYq1RreRzyd6VEzw6hVS8jA/s320/cobblane8.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5wpgEAMlTIQihd9LHmdabFLslmeHitZRq0atOoPODlcHX3V8oSlGvE44D8P3e9s_g5n-_Zs7Xkx-jaRpDSIxVilAZBKyM59_HZSHN2X8FAdsMtnDq2HpcxTmlDsVClRrDxJ8oMha47k/s1600/cobblane14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5wpgEAMlTIQihd9LHmdabFLslmeHitZRq0atOoPODlcHX3V8oSlGvE44D8P3e9s_g5n-_Zs7Xkx-jaRpDSIxVilAZBKyM59_HZSHN2X8FAdsMtnDq2HpcxTmlDsVClRrDxJ8oMha47k/s320/cobblane14.jpg" width="214" /></a> </div>
<br />
And of course with it being our anniversary, I had to get a few shots with my muscle man!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3U4U2mcgmjfnQGC0TgXCGTtHzcNKnWQbMCNMmfsWz75Ossfo9bn3ONV3VnUqWGxcD7dxETDTiGPqljSL_pbo3QIe6vJa-_UI3QtokbnTIe4Iz9nWv3qKz-fpwSeZX10J2ZjgIjHVV9E/s1600/cobblane15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3U4U2mcgmjfnQGC0TgXCGTtHzcNKnWQbMCNMmfsWz75Ossfo9bn3ONV3VnUqWGxcD7dxETDTiGPqljSL_pbo3QIe6vJa-_UI3QtokbnTIe4Iz9nWv3qKz-fpwSeZX10J2ZjgIjHVV9E/s320/cobblane15.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi980wuMvv99MSn7aVwo5bkE1-TS-JPM05yJLeyfY_C5Ot_p7mWY4CN_gkiXGmrM2pWvK7VViMHAi9_JWW7-4EIk_ZIW0Y0qKl71-Kik3jAgZYq28YrMXGCT90kzFfF-kQptDcaenK_LFA/s1600/cobblane16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi980wuMvv99MSn7aVwo5bkE1-TS-JPM05yJLeyfY_C5Ot_p7mWY4CN_gkiXGmrM2pWvK7VViMHAi9_JWW7-4EIk_ZIW0Y0qKl71-Kik3jAgZYq28YrMXGCT90kzFfF-kQptDcaenK_LFA/s320/cobblane16.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
After our little one night stay, I think my muscle man and I are totally ready to sell our house and move downtown! haha well maybe not for real, but it was so nice to get off work and have so much time in the evening, not to mention waking up the next morning later than usual, enjoying a fabulous home cooked breakfast, and still making it to work on time! All in all, it was a perfect little anniversary escape for when our busy schedules didn't allow much else =D <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzUl4t7ZUV9aLLE8GP5yhwK4_qrtGWh3y2sh2X5-BHQUJk8R6ibuFrKxFjsb-WXsOxFsmWwkO2tx84DmaLbtHZh-bkAySPbAY9aNAAEFSXi0_o5hsCGwZ4730VxLw-o3TloLl-aiqfKU/s1600/cobblane17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-73861694130676496402013-09-14T19:12:00.000-05:002013-09-14T19:13:21.937-05:00Bucket List: SCUBA Diving (again)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibANv_5Dl4qYVSKDualgxBVXvTfeDAE27bIy4PLsgGWSSexo1TQ2r0lmxXlKwBCsKFpisIIaFVuj2BmH0r2OopkyDaJ41r3j72q9YB8_UopfuVvmLMnofnmhuNQ4cQjyGsANRXLTzNpz8/s1600/FH000004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibANv_5Dl4qYVSKDualgxBVXvTfeDAE27bIy4PLsgGWSSexo1TQ2r0lmxXlKwBCsKFpisIIaFVuj2BmH0r2OopkyDaJ41r3j72q9YB8_UopfuVvmLMnofnmhuNQ4cQjyGsANRXLTzNpz8/s320/FH000004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This year has really been quite an adventure for my muscle man and I! This is really more of a 'bucket list' item for him as I've already checked it off mine... I've been a certified diver for 13 years now, but had gotten out of practice since I didn't have anyone to go with until now! So even though I was a little worried about diving into such an expensive hobby (pun intended =P) I'm really glad my muscle man decided to get certified! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoFf9Mc13-m61_2On0qsSo3jozyEo3ZtYsDIXXtBYOqukdrPaGmYErghlfAQAQ5xHh_5KHwZ_zo-lmlmHusb9_LrY8dYh5wKcBPR5VJdOtBxWeNLlEIowOqGsqA9UgoSbCcdEkeTgD08/s1600/FH000025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoFf9Mc13-m61_2On0qsSo3jozyEo3ZtYsDIXXtBYOqukdrPaGmYErghlfAQAQ5xHh_5KHwZ_zo-lmlmHusb9_LrY8dYh5wKcBPR5VJdOtBxWeNLlEIowOqGsqA9UgoSbCcdEkeTgD08/s320/FH000025.jpg" width="214" /></a><br />
<br />
The best thing about him deciding to get into scuba is that we actually live about 15 minutes away from a great little quarry that's been flooded and turned into a dive location. It's actually the place I took my check out dives when I got certified(it's like the road test when you get a driver's license, you have to pass a written test, but then you have to go on several dives with your instructor before you can scuba dive on your own). And as fate would have it, it's also where my muscle man wound up going to do his check out dives too!<br />
<br />
I went with his group for a bit of a refresher for myself, there were actually quite a few parents of kids in the group doing the same thing haha. My muscle man's instructor decided they would do the required 4 scuba dives in one day, which was quite exhausting, but really fun! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1Ca3UNyVj5vajvTaWzruyiHRyp584i0ySe6vQ1CqmgTMj-QPIo7q-i3i_MIl24G8gZ8XWwWlRTDqr_LnK_gh8FrA5twIsCAyeBK_eW9t1qs3ZZtyChH366o5qD_ODh538iPXVcOkP58/s1600/FH000018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1Ca3UNyVj5vajvTaWzruyiHRyp584i0ySe6vQ1CqmgTMj-QPIo7q-i3i_MIl24G8gZ8XWwWlRTDqr_LnK_gh8FrA5twIsCAyeBK_eW9t1qs3ZZtyChH366o5qD_ODh538iPXVcOkP58/s320/FH000018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Since that trip was mostly more about testing skills, and since we had a really big group, we didn't get to see much of the quarry. But since it's only 15 minutes from our house, we decided a few weeks later to go back just the two of us and get in a few more dives and have some fun. =)<br />
<br />
This trip was a lot more relaxed, and it was great to get into the water with my muscle man and swim around for a bit, and explore some of the less explored areas around the quarry. It goes down really deep, something like 180feet, but we stayed shallow since there was this terrible thermocline (level of freezing ass cold water) at about 40'.<br />
<br />
So aside from dipping down into that cold area to check out a wrecked car or something, we stayed shallow and just took our time checking things out. As we were swimming around, I noticed the absolute coolest thing I've seen while diving in freshwater... jellyfish... no really... A JELLY freaking FISH... In freshwater! I tried to get a photo of it, but without a macro filter or any advanced settings on my little point and shoot 35mm underwater camera, a blurry little smudge is the best I could do =P <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlLBsaQJdY_Mrrqx9qMR6DYGcFb21qz_0i2c7D8jPmmBJhMkRWi6ZPVXjzk6mDJXNUF79uJbmgbR5TzGmXJUs1rKKVh1qvZeNt4-tmoECtSQutT23lEF6Q2lLnvQgJHMBVBW0cQaUAlM/s1600/FH000019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlLBsaQJdY_Mrrqx9qMR6DYGcFb21qz_0i2c7D8jPmmBJhMkRWi6ZPVXjzk6mDJXNUF79uJbmgbR5TzGmXJUs1rKKVh1qvZeNt4-tmoECtSQutT23lEF6Q2lLnvQgJHMBVBW0cQaUAlM/s320/FH000019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It was still quite a fun little day out at the quarry, but we still haven't fully explored all that's in this little hole. So I'm sure that we will check it out again at some point, if for nothing else than to just keep our skills up between more adventurous dive trips. =) <br />
<br />Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-23134992683445791872013-08-27T10:00:00.000-05:002013-08-27T10:00:04.598-05:002nd Verse, Same as the FirstIn celebration of my muscle man and mine's second wedding anniversary, I figure it's high time for a renewed interest in this blog. We are very much still newly-weds, though this year I think we've survived without as many of the big, annoying fights haha! But no one is perfect, and I love how much we have grown to understand each other, and we are so looking forward to the next several years learning even more how to live and love together harmoniously.<br />
<br />
We've sort of organically decided this year to try to travel more, either local weekend getaways, or longer 3-4 day trips... and of course, we try to make at least one big trip each year as well. <br />
<br />
Our favorite (or most common at least) is the Sunday day trip... We're lucky enough to have some absolutely amazing places near us, like this great waterfall that is surprisingly close to our house!<br />
<br />
I think it's called "falling creek falls" and with all this rain we've had this summer, it was gorgeous! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGAS02wQsj_2OK9JCZ7uZ5spYLqPTY8Js38gsSyb_sKv4b9Kk-LKkGjdWPyVUJX4HcUuh4odaRifpTJPOEJ1BTcdkoJZ534GfQ45e7XvYkt6g3pd012LSIIszKbI5VF497wAayVFiAlc/s1600/fallingrockfalls2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGAS02wQsj_2OK9JCZ7uZ5spYLqPTY8Js38gsSyb_sKv4b9Kk-LKkGjdWPyVUJX4HcUuh4odaRifpTJPOEJ1BTcdkoJZ534GfQ45e7XvYkt6g3pd012LSIIszKbI5VF497wAayVFiAlc/s200/fallingrockfalls2.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TD46qiEy70Xjp3IM9gKRjBnmPivxUOQ1YyhF5xcGGKm9QEkr2qY88wxDzWkUSa5AHXgXsLv_4ICnv0rvkBL8-UP77bPkrSCtb6hwmaWg7Cswi48RfUKt2Ug1U6lSeQn4YvN2CNYLR64/s1600/fallingrockfalls1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TD46qiEy70Xjp3IM9gKRjBnmPivxUOQ1YyhF5xcGGKm9QEkr2qY88wxDzWkUSa5AHXgXsLv_4ICnv0rvkBL8-UP77bPkrSCtb6hwmaWg7Cswi48RfUKt2Ug1U6lSeQn4YvN2CNYLR64/s200/fallingrockfalls1.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVHZqDvpoHdqDhyDBUf_z6I0XhmbkGJUL9AMgyTrzwHjtqubLKQKsj9yGaZILkzzbOkrvLojTkLMZ4m5r_mL5yY8sAe7X7wr10iIqvtwOqwBwhkF-lsgqluyFLP74vc9cqyVu0jPaFw0s/s1600/fallingrockfalls4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVHZqDvpoHdqDhyDBUf_z6I0XhmbkGJUL9AMgyTrzwHjtqubLKQKsj9yGaZILkzzbOkrvLojTkLMZ4m5r_mL5yY8sAe7X7wr10iIqvtwOqwBwhkF-lsgqluyFLP74vc9cqyVu0jPaFw0s/s200/fallingrockfalls4.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBw58Lm_Ys-lsA1jf82X9neWNMoyJTJpL1uYfSQ89Znk6OJnftHN5Dby_UDWj9gFLdFRpRsttrK_27ic-iRBkz7Ociy7YmbsmJ62go2_WisWAcUON8PwbiTxu5IHAKAVoJmg4jF67I_HI/s1600/fallingrockfalls3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBw58Lm_Ys-lsA1jf82X9neWNMoyJTJpL1uYfSQ89Znk6OJnftHN5Dby_UDWj9gFLdFRpRsttrK_27ic-iRBkz7Ociy7YmbsmJ62go2_WisWAcUON8PwbiTxu5IHAKAVoJmg4jF67I_HI/s320/fallingrockfalls3.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
I decided since we got a bit of a late start that I would make us a picnic lunch to eat at the waterfall, and it was so relaxing to just sit around with the sounds of the water echoing in the little cove/cavern area underneath the falls. Also it was a nice little shelter from the sun! <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjkC-6lHqkDL_EdMQ40gttDAUekTWexvDeOSxzQQrOhB499yEohFvZSicBnlDpWbytjXw6oRvta-f0Z4fKkQU3d7P8-FD83mMluAE4OCdcmiU4EbAlzSm9KrMIZNlgarUBcX5jV-w1Xs/s1600/fallingrockfalls5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjkC-6lHqkDL_EdMQ40gttDAUekTWexvDeOSxzQQrOhB499yEohFvZSicBnlDpWbytjXw6oRvta-f0Z4fKkQU3d7P8-FD83mMluAE4OCdcmiU4EbAlzSm9KrMIZNlgarUBcX5jV-w1Xs/s320/fallingrockfalls5.jpg" width="214" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfblrGl8FnyFFlv5Mpz03B-r-XdvJfgvsOAXGvu19S9VEdYSVn3BAC3tqKmySMikfSchGy41rVdx1VAewDNHv3AXEvRYPv-AMuP1PpEkiMd0u7aX0PdM0mAHfXtIael9_RErycLETSU0/s1600/fallingrockfalls7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>
<br />
<br />Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-55324287948551364712013-06-20T20:17:00.000-05:002013-09-15T11:43:09.841-05:00Leia Loves BaseballIt's no secret that I'm not that huge of a sports fan... But when it comes to Baseball, I make a bit of an exception... My family is big into baseball, hell my father and brother both played college ball, and I cannot count how many summer 'vacations' were spent traveling the south east from tournament to tournament (mostly for my brother, I stopped playing when they made me play softball =P I liked co-ed kids baseball much better. Softballs are too hard for me to hit, and they're harder to catch and throw also!) So each year when summer rolls around I like to go see a game or two if we can, and I especially look forward to Star Wars night at the local double A club!<br />
<br />
This year though, I got to take charge of an invite from the Montgomery Biscuits, after finding out we had booked the Birmingham Barons game for the night before... 2 baseball games in one weekend?! Oh I was quite a happy lady =D<br />
<br />
Since I took the lead on the Montgomery game, I figured I would take the chance to throw out the first pitch, and then due to some last minute swaps, I also got to throw out the pitch at the Barons game!! My muscle man was awesome enough to get a video for me Friday night in Birmingham.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/v82W-d0XU7o?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
So Leia's not going to get scouted any time soon, but at least I made it over the plate at least!!=D I'll take it!!<br />
<br />
We were far too busy the next night to get any video, but we did get some photos of the amazing fans at the biscuits game =)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZtQAfPQXaoqlKxezqgM55QsKRD2zNncME1JO47dJooXIynRWwXV_RIBTa3R3TQjOt8MS7qU7VZnBahqGzmJk0nmgXzhtyGfE8tBKQCPo_-kKE3DpFun0yfuas0TIXpJO9fKa4z64kZM/s1600/IMG_1433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZtQAfPQXaoqlKxezqgM55QsKRD2zNncME1JO47dJooXIynRWwXV_RIBTa3R3TQjOt8MS7qU7VZnBahqGzmJk0nmgXzhtyGfE8tBKQCPo_-kKE3DpFun0yfuas0TIXpJO9fKa4z64kZM/s320/IMG_1433.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhexLxl8tadvmONpflYQNquCMkYgdYkVFa7MwWo7RU9blKli175OfDaV73MyXtRf9mYbn2WMOTg4sPPnT-uXrBuVUVSzwukN6D1R2MGUOIn0JNeIXc36QjBsM5FcWnaQjR0UzQgmfm9-Y/s1600/IMG_1440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhexLxl8tadvmONpflYQNquCMkYgdYkVFa7MwWo7RU9blKli175OfDaV73MyXtRf9mYbn2WMOTg4sPPnT-uXrBuVUVSzwukN6D1R2MGUOIn0JNeIXc36QjBsM5FcWnaQjR0UzQgmfm9-Y/s320/IMG_1440.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Zduckh4rHnNemQ8iyxYSXPVYzDdAyCMlGIUWrUunOdBEO0_-LmgFZSVwigMGZBRGSmOFzmxv094SafvKyUysd53yOZD4yprlBJtEaL7avcCumlx8Y8ZILt93wIMKggXch_WOeLeMu2E/s1600/IMG_1449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Zduckh4rHnNemQ8iyxYSXPVYzDdAyCMlGIUWrUunOdBEO0_-LmgFZSVwigMGZBRGSmOFzmxv094SafvKyUysd53yOZD4yprlBJtEaL7avcCumlx8Y8ZILt93wIMKggXch_WOeLeMu2E/s320/IMG_1449.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
What an absolutely fun and amazing weekend, the only downside of doing star wars night is that we don't really get to enjoy watching the game... Which means I'll be dragging my muscle man back to the ball field later this summer! Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-63337483973470104152013-06-17T14:33:00.000-05:002013-09-15T11:43:45.980-05:00Kicking off Summer Right<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The absolute best thing about summer is that my muscle man loves to
travel as much as I do!! =D So when my parents invited us down for a
little half-week getaway to the beach, we couldn't say no! But since we
have more traditional days off, we decided to start our vacation a day
early, and we took advantage of having a free Sunday to go visit the
naval air museum in Pensacola <a href="http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/">link</a>.
I hadn't been since I was a kid, and my muscle man had never been, so
it seemed like an excellent way to spend the morning while we waited for
our condo to be ready. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzfsTp1ZDFkiHPEakemM4irdoPusLs_qnMmzfCda_X_8CabJvvCfEXzrsGbUCRedlRxEWKaDioGb_uE6xp4gAyAtr1RBdt8dymHBJthv1d88BDkUeJiAhz61y_kq6FsbzLrnCvJDT39M/s1600/IMG_0890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzfsTp1ZDFkiHPEakemM4irdoPusLs_qnMmzfCda_X_8CabJvvCfEXzrsGbUCRedlRxEWKaDioGb_uE6xp4gAyAtr1RBdt8dymHBJthv1d88BDkUeJiAhz61y_kq6FsbzLrnCvJDT39M/s200/IMG_0890.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmJpWdPkL7Vazia4LGLiQTb8slo_eCSHI4ZjNsnU4JAcDWeABONr__hKUXyqDIJ6EVytXMFnuJ11VZoGcsm3XZp9j5YWQqFKPrHam7f5hbFu2J2CcwncipJP4xHXhcYuOvD8nv9HJlS0/s1600/IMG_0895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmJpWdPkL7Vazia4LGLiQTb8slo_eCSHI4ZjNsnU4JAcDWeABONr__hKUXyqDIJ6EVytXMFnuJ11VZoGcsm3XZp9j5YWQqFKPrHam7f5hbFu2J2CcwncipJP4xHXhcYuOvD8nv9HJlS0/s200/IMG_0895.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RLWdOYsIaMu7KanGzrQopKQwbKTW_ST4ufjZsk7nx2HUD-MQColHfYG3W507ybTZw_JFU3WyGBYFf8_RlZ9FBQ-Y28zEQJvZDPlSeyqDwui2yJ1KsJ_yLI8hAzuaUsOnW5bNcq-3EzA/s1600/IMG_0893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RLWdOYsIaMu7KanGzrQopKQwbKTW_ST4ufjZsk7nx2HUD-MQColHfYG3W507ybTZw_JFU3WyGBYFf8_RlZ9FBQ-Y28zEQJvZDPlSeyqDwui2yJ1KsJ_yLI8hAzuaUsOnW5bNcq-3EzA/s200/IMG_0893.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1eGHUgbtNimxyfSmYFr5kOqVBTXQfWTG_vIuZXjkye54WvEsHUFMs_DCxHKW3v1HA_4h85BjsaYaqU6rWSG1_ErDy99Ivh3LIyack4RmXycgFAjLG527BYBVVlYOGQLLdXPJytEMSAI/s1600/IMG_0897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1eGHUgbtNimxyfSmYFr5kOqVBTXQfWTG_vIuZXjkye54WvEsHUFMs_DCxHKW3v1HA_4h85BjsaYaqU6rWSG1_ErDy99Ivh3LIyack4RmXycgFAjLG527BYBVVlYOGQLLdXPJytEMSAI/s200/IMG_0897.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwqVc2e_DJtIz1dQZ_kj2xKBU-lZBBKLALmG5qnzZOfeGYMBbC_eJMwyAD_IcolV_3tv_zLMGqWmucwRkzFO6PJuAzE-XD-r0y1xVfJHAXMqoYH2cE9UjvpwqQ0k571esyd5yXeV0ToY/s1600/IMG_0899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwqVc2e_DJtIz1dQZ_kj2xKBU-lZBBKLALmG5qnzZOfeGYMBbC_eJMwyAD_IcolV_3tv_zLMGqWmucwRkzFO6PJuAzE-XD-r0y1xVfJHAXMqoYH2cE9UjvpwqQ0k571esyd5yXeV0ToY/s200/IMG_0899.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NZ1hCjSISXcKUSJa-bWpGDqYXmtB-GrWo69z7nHlnf1CYKuxslflFAZYNuAVQBFL2sgF1V-Od_r_tnKGFggpNE4ZMT3CxCW20FSItEftHen8Gc0ncjakQKiH5lVSKXKLNU9FydY4J3Y/s1600/IMG_0900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NZ1hCjSISXcKUSJa-bWpGDqYXmtB-GrWo69z7nHlnf1CYKuxslflFAZYNuAVQBFL2sgF1V-Od_r_tnKGFggpNE4ZMT3CxCW20FSItEftHen8Gc0ncjakQKiH5lVSKXKLNU9FydY4J3Y/s320/IMG_0900.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdkL1ejFQADMbs58mNpZT8q7YVMqLfJjS3pCgBfwkmqvgQ0OqixNUbMl_vI70lupIwX2-6e2kHqQFRLOWYDh8Ytp5KBW6C2NHNcV4sopvYwZ_87TY5R0rpa7QHKO2_kEPKB4s04BWbPY/s1600/IMG_0904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdkL1ejFQADMbs58mNpZT8q7YVMqLfJjS3pCgBfwkmqvgQ0OqixNUbMl_vI70lupIwX2-6e2kHqQFRLOWYDh8Ytp5KBW6C2NHNcV4sopvYwZ_87TY5R0rpa7QHKO2_kEPKB4s04BWbPY/s200/IMG_0904.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In addition to the awesome planes and signs, they also had a flight simulator, which my crazy, adrenaline loving muscle man decided he just had to try out! And because I get motion sick really easily, my mom stepped in and rode with my muscle man haha! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/gmyD8dPFEGw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It was a great little day trip, and a wonderful way to start off our half week off! =D And then we were off to the beach! I positively love the beach, but my muscle man likes a bit more adventure in his vacations, so this was a great compromise =) Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-14878361761562177372013-04-29T21:39:00.001-05:002013-04-29T21:39:34.482-05:00Time for a ReformatSince my husband works in computers, he's always hounding me to reformat my computer every so often as the ultimate form of defragging the hard drive. Which I guess is a good thing, although it annoys me to no end when he does it because it takes me weeks to get things back to the way I want!<br />
<br />
But it's nice, especially around spring time, to redo everything and get a fresh start. So when my computer started having some performance issues last week, I knew what my muscle man was going to suggest... And I figured, sure, why not, I've just completed a full cycle of my 365 photo-a-day project so I pull all the photos from that 'year' off and onto an external drive anyway, and I got a new version of photoshop as well that needed to be installed... So now that I'm getting my computer back to normal (and getting used to that new version of photoshop, grr...) it's time for some updates! =D<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2DYBt7UNl2gV5LTorv57_o8SwO0VuL0phxo5bp3lZ7QuR-Yl3IdjIQH2dnkvO7SL7bsdukT51v1toM06NC-pz9iKkAaLoOn5_eCSE6VpRu8Jn0C7EAcXLVaeSY1S-J1a8O8zovxNgDI/s1600/devID2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2DYBt7UNl2gV5LTorv57_o8SwO0VuL0phxo5bp3lZ7QuR-Yl3IdjIQH2dnkvO7SL7bsdukT51v1toM06NC-pz9iKkAaLoOn5_eCSE6VpRu8Jn0C7EAcXLVaeSY1S-J1a8O8zovxNgDI/s320/devID2013.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
OH and then there's that new camera thing to get used to as well! I've been wanting to upgrade my camera for quite a while now, so I figured I'd do something special for myself for the 5th anniversary of my project-27 photo-a-day thing. It's so much better than my little rebel xt I've been using for most of the past 5 years, but there's a lot to get used to as well! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmoU5HKF7AxrvLty7QoaSoaeLRx2FTicRBiytX7cfvEWx5Baegxz3CWXwyF3rXmjhnyfUtB6HWYNb6srXgGS81stJYIUefmGEAAzFl0GlU-yY7Ti-Qw2vb5NDNjMVrCh36T8InnLcLCw/s1600/bedtime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmoU5HKF7AxrvLty7QoaSoaeLRx2FTicRBiytX7cfvEWx5Baegxz3CWXwyF3rXmjhnyfUtB6HWYNb6srXgGS81stJYIUefmGEAAzFl0GlU-yY7Ti-Qw2vb5NDNjMVrCh36T8InnLcLCw/s320/bedtime.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This has got to be one of the best features of my new camera, it is absolutely wonderful at taking low light images! Or well, as good as I can expect haha... But the iso range is practically triple what I used to have, so noisy or not, I love having the ability to take photos with lower light! <br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3R0VDriK-VhxI_uZfmE5U3ovVmdfLo4ZYA-fcHWEGsI_DMvLvACMRRfQgJ05GiEQZEiLXstC3unDf3RyIBdLk-Duu2gtheye1kYbNNJ4yFDPiKQqRuMfmDKhDl2ByPjm4g_e0cYA3ZhI/s1600/frontgarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3R0VDriK-VhxI_uZfmE5U3ovVmdfLo4ZYA-fcHWEGsI_DMvLvACMRRfQgJ05GiEQZEiLXstC3unDf3RyIBdLk-Duu2gtheye1kYbNNJ4yFDPiKQqRuMfmDKhDl2ByPjm4g_e0cYA3ZhI/s320/frontgarden.jpg" width="320" /></a>And we've got some lovely newness outside, with the nice spring weather it's finally time we did something about the junky mess of a front yard the prior homeowners left us with... The planter in the front was overgrown with big shrubby-trees, you could barely see the house any more! So with the help of a ton of rocks, a chainsaw and some good old fashioned elbow grease provided by my muscle man and our new roommate(see below), we've now got a decent enough looking front yard. We decided to dig up the old barrier in parts of the flower bed and change the shape from an awkward half circle-half oval to a slightly less awkward true half circle that's not in line with the house, but is inline with the shrubs that we left in the bed and is kinda inline with the street.. (we're cheap, so we cut down the shrubs that didn't work, kept the ones that did, and covered the rest with mulch, no pricey new plants for us this year!) The back yard is still a totally different story, but baby steps...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We've also gained a few more residents, when we got such a large house we let several friends know that if they wanted, they could rent out our 4th bedroom in the basement, and one of my muscle man's good friends decided to take him up on the offer, if we could also accommodate a second roomie as well: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ohDJzZMZIKMAWurNMz7iG-lD_-2F9CYhok2aLiArz1Di5oBtaPfkqea2rNTTyXU4nm3k5Pg9vwC6VaWpPwLf3GLnu3vPqBTr63Yd-iKWV7ofOoqFKz-WTWk-EsbHlGyoUnZzT3HMOao/s1600/newdog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ohDJzZMZIKMAWurNMz7iG-lD_-2F9CYhok2aLiArz1Di5oBtaPfkqea2rNTTyXU4nm3k5Pg9vwC6VaWpPwLf3GLnu3vPqBTr63Yd-iKWV7ofOoqFKz-WTWk-EsbHlGyoUnZzT3HMOao/s320/newdog.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
Puppy!! haha 120 pounds of purebred great-dang-thats-a-big-dog hehe! She's a super sweetheart, getting her to stand still for a photo was really hard because she kept wanting to snuggle! We had planned on her being a mostly outside dog, but after she escaped from our 6 foot fence while we were at work we decided it would be ok for her to stay inside, especially to keep our other dog company. I think dog is glad to have puppy around, she gives him some company
while we're away at work, and despite her size, she is so well mannered! We did have a little issue with the trash can, but when it's at snout level you can't really blame her for being curious haha! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1h_uECdjz0Aw-i4JqF6wuO8D5ZuD6FJE7JYOU4G0OXeC6hPV6gem4HGAewi_Wjw_9vBNX-eZygERu8ngeq5cVaN7U5oxpCEl5aysqw28bNa_sfJikCoycUk6VnFRvmkk1I85Wi_c2whA/s1600/dog-dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1h_uECdjz0Aw-i4JqF6wuO8D5ZuD6FJE7JYOU4G0OXeC6hPV6gem4HGAewi_Wjw_9vBNX-eZygERu8ngeq5cVaN7U5oxpCEl5aysqw28bNa_sfJikCoycUk6VnFRvmkk1I85Wi_c2whA/s320/dog-dog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-39085924568351253162013-02-18T22:01:00.000-06:002013-02-18T22:01:56.174-06:00The One Where I Apologize For Getting Behind... AgainWhoops... Just when I get everything all sorted and situated, and have just gotten back on track with blogging on a semi-regular basis, and more importantly, posting my daily self-portraits to deviantArt on an almost daily basis, life goes and throws me a curve ball...<br />
<br />
But keeping with my family's history of being amazing baseball players, (my dad and brother both went to college on baseball scholarships!) I must say I took the curve ball and hit quite the homerun, so to speak... At least in real life that is... my online life has just had to take a bit of a backseat due to it... <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEe-7bGN8CKtrShLEYQcVb05P73Z9R8uip1rbq9zg4pqBEN6JE3-kZrn03KF8PPS22cC006178rFZs3UPJ4Nqhbv1hC6RBxrXDNnrr-dCcHUOUcs5HQ9V8VmyuooUwPmTXA7X7jITDwos/s1600/01-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEe-7bGN8CKtrShLEYQcVb05P73Z9R8uip1rbq9zg4pqBEN6JE3-kZrn03KF8PPS22cC006178rFZs3UPJ4Nqhbv1hC6RBxrXDNnrr-dCcHUOUcs5HQ9V8VmyuooUwPmTXA7X7jITDwos/s320/01-25.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
See, several weeks back, my boss unexpectedly quit, leaving me quite a bit stunned and more than a little worried about what was going to happen to our rather small team that he managed (there's three of us, and then he had one sort-of peer that had no employees 'under' him, so the peer was sort of our manager, but with no authority)<br />
<br />
That was on a Friday... and after a fabulous but very tiring weekend caving with my muscle man, I headed into work Monday with no idea what would happen.. .I mean I felt very secure in my job, hell earlier in the week the "ceo" (we're an LLC, so that's not his real title, but close enough) had sent me an email asking if I would take on more responsibilities, not knowing my boss was considering leaving. But I was still a bit worried... would the "peer-manager" now be my official boss? Would we be under the ceo directly? Our little department integrated into another?<br />
<br />
<br />
Well just shortly into my shift the ceo brings me into his office, and lays out the plan... Our department will be broken down, the work redivided into 2 mini-departments (bummer) but the peer manager would be blended into the department I wasn't going into, which meant I'd be getting a promotion and raise(awesome!) and taking on a lot of the responsibilities that my boss had. (funny thing is, I've been telling my muscle man for months the ceo should can my old boss and give me his work, he was far overpaid for what he was doing, so it's interesting how things have worked out!) Long story short here, combined with the new responsibilities I'd told the ceo I'd take on the week before, it's lots of work for me but in the next few months it'll level out and be perfect!<br />
<br />
<br />
But, short story long, I was already trying my best to keep up and the ceo sends me an invite to a work conference at the beach! ummm.... definitely not going to pass that up!! Not only do I love the beach, but I'm not going to tell the main person in charge that I am too busy to go to a seminar he thinks I need to attend, only a week after he's expressed confidence in me and given me a promotion! So I got a fabulous 3 day trip to the beach, at the worst possible time work wise, but it was definitely a chance for the ceo to get to know me, and for me to learn some more about how other businesses do the tasks I'll be heading up at our office. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOkCOFiQGCtjV6yx5s3nsGLxZG_GXNjzOtmMFz8F-cDpZazTTQgjvkp6UX_PjeXqarYDlNPOoy1qoEssH7w3oO4-7IxjrC8jwHIe5GN_EZeErAlTn6AzRSgX_lzR7_nW3072hq2x_lFM/s1600/IMG_7464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOkCOFiQGCtjV6yx5s3nsGLxZG_GXNjzOtmMFz8F-cDpZazTTQgjvkp6UX_PjeXqarYDlNPOoy1qoEssH7w3oO4-7IxjrC8jwHIe5GN_EZeErAlTn6AzRSgX_lzR7_nW3072hq2x_lFM/s320/IMG_7464.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
So that's where I've been lately!! It has been an insanely crazy February, and the month still has quite a ways to go! Definitely not what I was expecting when I vowed to keep up with my daily posts of my self-portraits in January, haha guess that's karma for me though... I'm certainly not going to complain, but I definitely wish there was more time to have a nice balance between work, home, and extra-curriculars right now! <br />
Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-51427514105862345052013-01-27T22:00:00.002-06:002013-01-27T22:00:45.829-06:00Bucket List: 3 Miles UndergroundIn his effort to really make 2013 positively awesome, my muscle man went off in search of more caves after our failed attempt the other weekend (<a href="http://www.project27photography.com/2013/01/bucket-listing-2013.html">link</a>)... And lucky for us (him?), he found a trip offered through the university where he works! And lucky for us (definitely him... I was so hoping for a bit of a break) was only a few weeks away! So off we went this weekend to a private cave with a group and (at least semi-)professional guides!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1oUXoLZPfchei8PDeyQzkCgEUrxhR7XLMLjfL_dzJV5zC77Vt8Ni4adfwyIMrqRxGQGcnDR2Ijo3pFbAgkicq81AnU8ue_X7e6a6joZk8Ex-FrD2zEQfsust9c9Kdgw3gOaIqztMe-k/s1600/P1260005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1oUXoLZPfchei8PDeyQzkCgEUrxhR7XLMLjfL_dzJV5zC77Vt8Ni4adfwyIMrqRxGQGcnDR2Ijo3pFbAgkicq81AnU8ue_X7e6a6joZk8Ex-FrD2zEQfsust9c9Kdgw3gOaIqztMe-k/s320/P1260005.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
The only clue from the road that anything is abnormal about the space (and by road, I mean 4 mile long private drive =P) was the "to keep people out" barb wire fencing... Oh and the big "keep out" sign haha! It's definitely not a tourist attraction, and the curators have no intentions of it ever becoming one, which is pretty cool, but it would be so awesome if more people could experience it! It was quite literally a hole in the wall, totally unassuming but wow what wonders were inside! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGLDx4U-6KyPTbF32aTBhjH_OIxrdaJ2xSvEpD91ghQR3dPG1_vNbrhLyBTthdGpuFGfR11p-2BrygBf42ZohvXdpuJ3zhNro4i03IuYYq_dq2ak_Hj32IGXgxDZ7V1nXSTljEecE2KQ/s1600/P1260009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGLDx4U-6KyPTbF32aTBhjH_OIxrdaJ2xSvEpD91ghQR3dPG1_vNbrhLyBTthdGpuFGfR11p-2BrygBf42ZohvXdpuJ3zhNro4i03IuYYq_dq2ak_Hj32IGXgxDZ7V1nXSTljEecE2KQ/s320/P1260009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
That's no perspective error, the door/opening to the cave was tiny, we had to hunch down to get in! They broke us down into small groups, and into the cave we went with a guide in front and one in back to make sure none of us got lost in the abyss! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Yw23jqvRhYWqULqRSuZAZQ3dDbM_xgr-PonC7d-F88WFbBjbOwYwtifyIMnLo17T6FcakBY2doxrFuDpJ4Z-1v4V3dMXyB5swEmAFRBK0pUBFQMV8e4m4fnvmZOb2uqELDujYUNW0sw/s1600/P1260010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Yw23jqvRhYWqULqRSuZAZQ3dDbM_xgr-PonC7d-F88WFbBjbOwYwtifyIMnLo17T6FcakBY2doxrFuDpJ4Z-1v4V3dMXyB5swEmAFRBK0pUBFQMV8e4m4fnvmZOb2uqELDujYUNW0sw/s320/P1260010.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I decided not to take my slr, so these photos are seriously lacking in quality.. I only had my ancient point-and-shoot (seriously, I think I got it as a graduation gift, from high school...and my 10 year reunion is getting terribly close =P) and it has zero manual controls, sadly... But not having to worry about a camera was very nice, considering I was WAY outside my comfort zone when it came to the climbing! While there were several places where it was just walking around in relatively flat, though sometimes cramped, rooms and passageways, there were a lot more times that it was like climbing a huge dry creek/river bed, if the river was 20 or so feet tall! So lots of big boulders/rocks, and I'm just not very good at climbing those types of things, up or down... But it was so worth it! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAZGUJuH0Ex58H7O0xCwU6d8XJXQuSA_xpkzo2svr5Z_v49ulyMoICl7yHWvYPWxHAYjo6GtL2mM6JyZDNWwXZHUYntmRWeVu5CKIjIeRr1TRvsQebUCIlH_nUnCUoXz61O1Nj7j00-Y/s1600/P1260033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAZGUJuH0Ex58H7O0xCwU6d8XJXQuSA_xpkzo2svr5Z_v49ulyMoICl7yHWvYPWxHAYjo6GtL2mM6JyZDNWwXZHUYntmRWeVu5CKIjIeRr1TRvsQebUCIlH_nUnCUoXz61O1Nj7j00-Y/s320/P1260033.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_GG1uaa0DDtSWt4NXnD00sinoG1POFIvSOxDulMs9OQYHWloeBF5Pxk1mUkkUoFTvmCF6rnPUqJ-eInij3kXvXbQRRtrt3zs4d_a5v4TAjWZ_EHT-Fywf_QnUy1KfPyeAmJcxgN84I7w/s1600/P1260034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_GG1uaa0DDtSWt4NXnD00sinoG1POFIvSOxDulMs9OQYHWloeBF5Pxk1mUkkUoFTvmCF6rnPUqJ-eInij3kXvXbQRRtrt3zs4d_a5v4TAjWZ_EHT-Fywf_QnUy1KfPyeAmJcxgN84I7w/s320/P1260034.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Here's the big, open room we took a little break in, we had a pitch black rave party, complete with a glow stick battle haha!! The first photo was when I forgot my flash was on, the second is more what it actually looked like, with one headlamp still on! It was completely dark with no lights, like in the video below! (no audio... again, super old camera haha!!) <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/KsHsggI3rbs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Once our little rave was over, some of the group continued on to the more adventurous part of the cave... And with my muscle man and his friend egging me on, I wasn't about to go with the wimp group that headed down the easy path back out of the cave... The second part of the cave was really a tight squeeze, so we left our backpacks as they would have just gotten in the way. We had to crawl/slide through several narrow passages, and even with my knee pads I still wound up with several bruises! But sadly, no backpack means no camera, so I don't have a photo of the coolest room there. It was amazingly large, it was like being inside a football stadium with a roof (never actually been in one of those, but that's the best idea I can think to compare to...) We got to sit and enjoy it for a few minutes while an even more adventurous group went to the top of the room up a boulder wall...<br />
<br />
Oh and then there was an indoor waterfall!! OMG so amazing and overwhelming!! I did take my camera with me to the waterfall, but with its limited capabilities I wasn't able to get a good shot... Definitely couldn't have taken my slr to that without a housing, you had to climb up a hole to get to the waterfall... oh and that hole is where the waterfall drains out... <br />
<br />
<br />
Still, despite not getting any amazing photos, it was such a great trip! And my muscle man was so excited to be inside the cave, he really enjoyed himself and is ready to go again!! As for me, I'm totally ok to let the bruises and sore muscles heal for a little bit lol =P And for my first time in a 'real' cave(aka not touristy, not permanently lit, and no handrails/walkways), it was quite the experience!! <br />
<br />Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-56425707708729355582013-01-14T21:31:00.003-06:002013-08-26T22:22:38.663-05:00Bucket Listing 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0pI-aKIXA-BUfBisZbG096WIT2odiK1EVTXp8XySeQ0FX6zL_zNj34VRj78ZBNhT8c3QoHGf3pNmr2YN34TI4ZGcoefNPuMX8lvb2Cd6T7GJUry7qB5sHfiaXIkLXpjtcS_RRjXO/s1600/IMG_7162.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0pI-aKIXA-BUfBisZbG096WIT2odiK1EVTXp8XySeQ0FX6zL_zNj34VRj78ZBNhT8c3QoHGf3pNmr2YN34TI4ZGcoefNPuMX8lvb2Cd6T7GJUry7qB5sHfiaXIkLXpjtcS_RRjXO/s320/IMG_7162.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We're filling our bucket quick quickly haha! My muscle man decided to jot down a list of 'bucket list' items he'd like to do in 2013, and since his birthday comes at the first of the year, he took advantage of the warm-ish weather to go ahead and (almost) knock one of the items off the list! He really wants to go exploring in a cave this year, and we had heard there were some 'off the map' ones at Desoto State Park in Alabama. So after a little sweet talking by me to the park ranger, we had our (literally!) hand drawn map in hand and off we went! No such luck in find the real cave, but we did get half-way there with a (man made, but several hundred years ago) cove/overhang in the rock wall =D<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPDQYj5Jll10bT88_Uz7q3FUrpm9w6GHE_3k0hnMCLL8rsPyZ3X8kq6RmQDPppgkkQ3gYQJgL3SknLkKZDP9ZJ4v-wUsgyDeJJDCVt7-8gVJ-DDxQEqXkZm0sQ3RJh5lbxlwF8qjc/s1600/IMG_7094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPDQYj5Jll10bT88_Uz7q3FUrpm9w6GHE_3k0hnMCLL8rsPyZ3X8kq6RmQDPppgkkQ3gYQJgL3SknLkKZDP9ZJ4v-wUsgyDeJJDCVt7-8gVJ-DDxQEqXkZm0sQ3RJh5lbxlwF8qjc/s200/IMG_7094.jpg" width="133" /></a>First though we went to the park's namesake waterfall, desoto falls, which has a man-made dam just before cascading over a gorgeous rock face... Here's the view you get from the normal, easy to walk from the parking lot overlook: (I only took my 50mm lens with me, since I knew we'd be in possibly treacherous areas and didn't want to risk my expensive--not to mention heavy to carry on a several mile hike--lens...so my angles were quite limited) <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And then here's the view from the mile or so hike that we thought would take us down to the river's edge after swinging toward the waterfall (it didn't.. but still, very glad we took the detour, this view was absolutely amazing!!!) If you look really closely you can see little people off to the left side, that's where the first photo was taken.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhe3xpa7x0x02Ui7FYivpbSCHzq5DgN1ZBa1PyGx5MdvrjeSrt74iWXhqrfqBNg4sXzzopd8F4BNF8LssklKnZ1pNN4AwlWrjQGXSellLDEsTSK6_ovMk5f6kYuAAXK96JB55Rrnq/s1600/IMG_7096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhe3xpa7x0x02Ui7FYivpbSCHzq5DgN1ZBa1PyGx5MdvrjeSrt74iWXhqrfqBNg4sXzzopd8F4BNF8LssklKnZ1pNN4AwlWrjQGXSellLDEsTSK6_ovMk5f6kYuAAXK96JB55Rrnq/s320/IMG_7096.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
So, slightly disappointed that the trail didn't take us down to the water after the gorgeous overlook, we tried again to figure out where the trail the park ranger had drawn for us was... We finally found it, but were way too tired to hope that we were right and continue on down river and away from our car... Instead we walked around between the two trails, which gave us some really amazing vantages and it's also where we discovered the little welsh cave (named apparently because welsh settlers carved them, I think I remember the ranger telling us). <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS42KD29jJc5mhfikgaZMhh04reXOYA85ox0besqDdj3cSP07hb1ZIq8SjfEehkc32HOZGcPtpqBPYpnsPgoF-FMo16nAwHZ9DCssNVT3-S0Wo9724Hh5y7t59_mVl9owM-xjpiIHu/s1600/IMG_7101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS42KD29jJc5mhfikgaZMhh04reXOYA85ox0besqDdj3cSP07hb1ZIq8SjfEehkc32HOZGcPtpqBPYpnsPgoF-FMo16nAwHZ9DCssNVT3-S0Wo9724Hh5y7t59_mVl9owM-xjpiIHu/s320/IMG_7101.jpg" width="214" /></a><br />
See that little person at the bottom left? That's my muscle man, about 20 feet away from the rock face that goes up so far you can't see the sunlight!! I wish I would have had my regular lens to really capture how huge it was! I was also concerned my battery wasn't going to last, so I didn't take many photos in case we did find the big cave and I wanted to use a battery-draining flash to light photos in it... <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtXGUKWdP62FWFYisTYW3rEiq5BhiSS8TV5Zt-JSkqL2EV_4YRgMOxTaWtHN433SbX3c0oF6EvPJn11Eafr1lLBfGg7at3JNf0w747chdioQFJi030PPuM0HinhZgiR5GxQnUVYgC/s1600/IMG_7125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtXGUKWdP62FWFYisTYW3rEiq5BhiSS8TV5Zt-JSkqL2EV_4YRgMOxTaWtHN433SbX3c0oF6EvPJn11Eafr1lLBfGg7at3JNf0w747chdioQFJi030PPuM0HinhZgiR5GxQnUVYgC/s320/IMG_7125.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
And here's the whole expedition group!! We even brought the dog along with us, he absolutely loved exploring! =D Granted, he was so excited when we finally got home from our journey haha, his poor little paws were exhausted after 2 days of hiking!!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
From the very back of the cave to the opening, I'd say it was probably a good 30-40 feet? Lol I'm really bad with distances, but suffice to say it was quite large! I think all three of us sat down on that large rock to the left with plenty of room to spare... The 50mm lens really didn't do it justice, but I was very glad to have a lighter weight camera than my other lens, which is a beast...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAqzyffUxVI0bUEkPFrCYtQpwyx28pQkCqhlJRtLZ2Vcjxr9sxwJMWqYg-6vxCcNiGFUv3VV7hiuPSsGeAadlqmlxmOZA4aRmLLh0qf14wysr9aS7FuBvak4A1vnY1maQbAPbbzHm/s1600/IMG_7161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAqzyffUxVI0bUEkPFrCYtQpwyx28pQkCqhlJRtLZ2Vcjxr9sxwJMWqYg-6vxCcNiGFUv3VV7hiuPSsGeAadlqmlxmOZA4aRmLLh0qf14wysr9aS7FuBvak4A1vnY1maQbAPbbzHm/s320/IMG_7161.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Oh, and then we decided to stay for the night because my muscle man wanted so badly to find the cave, and we figured that since we had found the unmarked trail that was close enough to merit staying, and I certainly wasn't going to tell him no on his birthday trip!! But that's another story for another day =D <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-81551866576850615302012-12-19T08:10:00.000-06:002012-12-19T08:10:21.305-06:00Happy Mayan Christmas!...umm or something like that!! =D Me and my fabulous muscle man are hosting our first party at the house this weekend, and even though it's only days before Christmas, there won't be a holiday tune in sight...<br />
<br />
Instead, we're celebrating the once-every-5100-and-some-odd-years holiday of the Mayan Calendar resetting!! =D We so wanted to be able to celebrate it in some amazing historic location like Peru or Chichen-Itza, but the budget (and the vacation time from work!) just wasn't there... So instead, we decided to take advantage of what we do have and celebrate with friends in our fabulous new house =D We're getting quite excited, and even decided to deck our Christmas tree out for just the occasion!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6sE3_aWSxblnKiMbFAWRpJft3IZj5YtBqwJuT7gf_qCWmPY5nh5GQGAruE8V7CEYABg3Trstg_YRlP6zm3PL1jAU24gqrGzn6gfvRrS3GFfBOXwtCo2z1WkhoiW3AKsoDxIsmv4w/s1600/IMG_6596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6sE3_aWSxblnKiMbFAWRpJft3IZj5YtBqwJuT7gf_qCWmPY5nh5GQGAruE8V7CEYABg3Trstg_YRlP6zm3PL1jAU24gqrGzn6gfvRrS3GFfBOXwtCo2z1WkhoiW3AKsoDxIsmv4w/s400/IMG_6596.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hope everyone else is having as wonderful a holiday season as we are!!<br />
<br />
**And for the record, our Christmas gifts and groceries for a wonderful December 25 meal are already bought, no 'end of the world' talk or craziness here =P Just a super fun celebration of a once every millennia occasion from a really cool culture that both of us are fascinated by =D** Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-71677508361818346932012-11-29T23:15:00.000-06:002012-11-29T23:15:33.253-06:00Man's Cave? I'm not so sure that "ManCave" is really the word we should continue to use for our basement movie lounge, because nearly everything in it was my contribution!! =D Don't get me wrong, my muscle man definitely loves how everything is turning out, but from the design to the decorating, it's very much been my project!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGw2JfjBARq-FNEdX9GMuhtpLG_jJ5lbi5EgGdnZF_UkAfBAryvQZc8zZRrY268I3kCXYQ2WOlmz-aZXnVrfh3dFMShdhf1GxjRmWmKxQBzdMom4osc61JU8rdeTO0SV30f4lVYOD7/s1600/IMG_6491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGw2JfjBARq-FNEdX9GMuhtpLG_jJ5lbi5EgGdnZF_UkAfBAryvQZc8zZRrY268I3kCXYQ2WOlmz-aZXnVrfh3dFMShdhf1GxjRmWmKxQBzdMom4osc61JU8rdeTO0SV30f4lVYOD7/s320/IMG_6491.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We're not finished with it yet, but at least for the moment we have a
very useable, very enjoyable cave that I just can't wait to show off! So
even though we still have some work to do (a few more wall decorations,
a new TV and stand, and hopefully some furniture that's more 'have friends over to watch
movies'-friendly), I figured it's close enough to done to at
least show a few pics, including this amazing before-and-"after"!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvNlVhL9DM7BK26vqgttTXNMWE_4lNmU2kTt8glbVvdxwaKPfta183JeAB2-3bgtNB17vWu_ZinA2AljlRNVMi2Rga6q_IR5zfqGLWFKECb3ZtLaJBGNgrWqwjeuMpmIurEwjkGIi/s1600/IMG_6496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvNlVhL9DM7BK26vqgttTXNMWE_4lNmU2kTt8glbVvdxwaKPfta183JeAB2-3bgtNB17vWu_ZinA2AljlRNVMi2Rga6q_IR5zfqGLWFKECb3ZtLaJBGNgrWqwjeuMpmIurEwjkGIi/s320/IMG_6496.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
The room is really turning into a movie-cave, complete with red velvet curtains that act as "doors" for the archway entry, bookshelves quickly filling with star wars collectibles, and a practical shrine to the amazing art of <a href="http://www.mattbusch.com/">Matt Busch</a>! I simply love the anniversary movie posters he did for the trilogy, I'm so honored to finally have a place to hang them! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi137NLUyzR4ekQsBXbS0qDWg4d6Q_hWxEpQcX1pNZL4Ub12EgroNiJYmqZcRvOzQJaHamKg_PJegelNZsXf0HNrdlG9LzYb7YTH_mMaYDBTq60RhQL2DSAbWMHQBiKviL3fB9pRr86/s1600/IMG_6500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi137NLUyzR4ekQsBXbS0qDWg4d6Q_hWxEpQcX1pNZL4Ub12EgroNiJYmqZcRvOzQJaHamKg_PJegelNZsXf0HNrdlG9LzYb7YTH_mMaYDBTq60RhQL2DSAbWMHQBiKviL3fB9pRr86/s320/IMG_6500.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
The back wall is still lacking a little bit(and cluttered, so I didn't show off the full 360 degree view), but we just got this amazing black glass corner desk for my muscle man. Now that it's been installed and his computer is up and running, he has a proper space for gaming! (until now he'd just been playing WoW from the couch, using the TV as a monitor =P)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8BxHuwG19Mbffmq-K99p8ZA0E0z_3ZnrGFoAMKFK7Amv4ErWkzhyphenhyphendg_730uJDKEaIGz0dPRBymgtY4GjNYDd_pNhHmAaLesF-l2oMvV72AOkyz48rdmId1N-qu0IoR1dR2LvXog0/s1600/IMG_6501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8BxHuwG19Mbffmq-K99p8ZA0E0z_3ZnrGFoAMKFK7Amv4ErWkzhyphenhyphendg_730uJDKEaIGz0dPRBymgtY4GjNYDd_pNhHmAaLesF-l2oMvV72AOkyz48rdmId1N-qu0IoR1dR2LvXog0/s320/IMG_6501.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
With all this talk of a man-cave, I can't help but realize that this is quickly becoming my favorite room in the house! I mean nearly all the furnishings on the walls and bookshelves are things I've collected over the years, and I love being able to watch movies against that gorgeous light absorbing black wall/ceiling! So why should the men get to have all the fun? I'm still going to call it the man-cave, but that's mostly because lady-cave just sounds wrong..very very wrong...and I just don't see that title catching on anytime soon...<br />
<br />Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-69914175215907683802012-11-24T15:51:00.000-06:002012-11-29T23:04:03.883-06:00Christmas Traditions: Leia Cooks DinnerIt's that time of year again when I don my Slave Leia outfit for a very special holiday photoshoot! =D I just love coming up each year with a fabulous new concept that's more than just a pretty photo, but that really lends itself to a little Slave Leia Christmas Card story!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoSjcLR7v07MnCeHikXKT6Tpe1Ae6KvXNBuiro_6l83N87bq0ll2NFuraLn13fMLtCht0xAclKPvm9jVfEn73RNkjuqNwuL5UvTsqsJMy0g6kKLheQ5-XUCd94cirWXKC5lz8_HLR/s1600/IMG_6302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoSjcLR7v07MnCeHikXKT6Tpe1Ae6KvXNBuiro_6l83N87bq0ll2NFuraLn13fMLtCht0xAclKPvm9jVfEn73RNkjuqNwuL5UvTsqsJMy0g6kKLheQ5-XUCd94cirWXKC5lz8_HLR/s320/IMG_6302.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
This year it's no different, and since myself and the muscle man are still settling into our new house, I really wanted to show off something I've never had before, a real dining room!! I'm so looking forward to cooking and baking this holiday season, so I thought I'd set the tone right and have a great Christmas dinner, complete with sexy hostess!! =)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjasesvQF3geiLDbvdMAhMrC1FLRPec1Tkz0abknVw7MdSDpKeTabflIAy5YX_4tgXDg96FKyaTbV5WGgqSFHNpqWifLZ7webPwQGt0sPCcsNQ78PhJVpv5hj7Fs4ObmEYVcQjacBnS/s1600/IMG_6311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjasesvQF3geiLDbvdMAhMrC1FLRPec1Tkz0abknVw7MdSDpKeTabflIAy5YX_4tgXDg96FKyaTbV5WGgqSFHNpqWifLZ7webPwQGt0sPCcsNQ78PhJVpv5hj7Fs4ObmEYVcQjacBnS/s320/IMG_6311.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHPkokt4fhlkVN1Qrcx7860rO8mGoz10_-62M3BbUzePiudAwBXjGvJ6EuG9EunSZsB62QUWqnacpT7cQRfTrEMXuUJa4Ms_7KgzIgJhDfh6gJUaXgw73V7AZ8ZR2GBnKLwLkEwG4L/s1600/IMG_6333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHPkokt4fhlkVN1Qrcx7860rO8mGoz10_-62M3BbUzePiudAwBXjGvJ6EuG9EunSZsB62QUWqnacpT7cQRfTrEMXuUJa4Ms_7KgzIgJhDfh6gJUaXgw73V7AZ8ZR2GBnKLwLkEwG4L/s320/IMG_6333.jpg" width="212" /></a><br />
Because let's face it, the way to a man's heart is definitely through his stomach! And there's plenty of room at the table! <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowOANA4UCyup-3bvU-JZofGwc5yitY8DvugKTcEK2C82PC0bBuQ3ViQmRTbBqf0HNCByhL6sG36PXNCc9xC0f7M7tWK5kt_I6XG-xwGPWDMDE0lq8AePNN6hgCwjsluFOhZlntZIu/s1600/IMG_6322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowOANA4UCyup-3bvU-JZofGwc5yitY8DvugKTcEK2C82PC0bBuQ3ViQmRTbBqf0HNCByhL6sG36PXNCc9xC0f7M7tWK5kt_I6XG-xwGPWDMDE0lq8AePNN6hgCwjsluFOhZlntZIu/s320/IMG_6322.jpg" width="212" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Even though we're not going all out and decorating much this year, we can still have a wonderfully festive holiday, especially with the smell of fresh baked Christmas cookies to follow up an amazing dinner!<br />
<br />
<br />
Metal Bikini by the always amazing <a href="http://leiasmetalbikini.com/">leiasmetalbikini.com</a>, if you're thinking of one for your sexy Leia this holiday I'd highly recommend Jamin's! Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-75972726946990603352012-11-03T09:30:00.000-05:002012-11-03T09:30:01.444-05:00Disney Day 4: 'Round the WorldAnd off to EPCOT, obviously!! I absolutely love a good trip to EPCOT, and while the Magic Kingdom defintely has a warm spot in my heart, EPCOT runs it a very close second for favorite park, so getting to enjoy it with my muscle man made it even more awesome!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvs14b6iHq6AvvmfkRiJTFALIb5Acso_wbiaLRCfNBvAvom1fSAEd8bHQMYK6XtyE7vU-ZMAWj_c8MruX5ucwtwcPf72GQz6ous5SS2ya7aW_Zy7uRhiSZF351evHTtxWfaz2n76D/s1600/IMG_5266+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvs14b6iHq6AvvmfkRiJTFALIb5Acso_wbiaLRCfNBvAvom1fSAEd8bHQMYK6XtyE7vU-ZMAWj_c8MruX5ucwtwcPf72GQz6ous5SS2ya7aW_Zy7uRhiSZF351evHTtxWfaz2n76D/s320/IMG_5266+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Before we left for Disney, we had these amazing personalized maps sent to us from the mouse house! I think they're meant to be more of a keepsake instead of actually taken to the parks, but since me and my bestie have the parks memorized I thought we'd bring these to the parks so our boys would know where we were headed next (you can choose what attractions you want on your 'favorite' list and they are in yellow, the rest of the items are in blue)<br />
<br />
Oh and did I mention the best part? Our vacation was smack in the middle of the best time of year to visit EPCOT, the annual Food and Wine Festival! So let's just say I'm glad it's a long walk around world showcase, because I definitely took advantage of all the amazing cuisine! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Lv62IP6r-qpIBA_gnLrcDoFRmmOjcOlDDOGMsboBSBbu76wrJyCg020aKyLA-roeUO1qfWj9ch1zmnY12SaBdtj2LGAjjQNOIoT8sAjKeaw8IhUEMsMybxtB_dBx9_NUzRoJ2Q8c/s1600/IMG_5263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Lv62IP6r-qpIBA_gnLrcDoFRmmOjcOlDDOGMsboBSBbu76wrJyCg020aKyLA-roeUO1qfWj9ch1zmnY12SaBdtj2LGAjjQNOIoT8sAjKeaw8IhUEMsMybxtB_dBx9_NUzRoJ2Q8c/s200/IMG_5263.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
First up on my list though was a year 'round delight, the turkey and cheese with chipolte mayo!! They have changed the kind of cheese and bread, and it's not as good as it once was, but wow it is still an amazing sandwich!! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvBDepIY8IQT-u5EHgNOwzc0idTtkq0LoYayg0-thyphenhyphenNWgXuzd8Zen54a2lB4ei9NiOgFXu6ABBa8hu2D5h_9aClAAHtj1wditmpd-T8Mt1f9PHv31ynSVDGhGHnwA4BEeIQ5bpTU0/s1600/IMG_5267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvBDepIY8IQT-u5EHgNOwzc0idTtkq0LoYayg0-thyphenhyphenNWgXuzd8Zen54a2lB4ei9NiOgFXu6ABBa8hu2D5h_9aClAAHtj1wditmpd-T8Mt1f9PHv31ynSVDGhGHnwA4BEeIQ5bpTU0/s200/IMG_5267.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
And of course, we had to stop in and try some foreign coke products...Yes, I made my muscle man try beverly... he actually didn't mind the taste, but he definitely preferred the fruity mexican and japanese sodas they offer there =) I'm waiting for those 'mix your own flavor' machines to offer some choices like those now that some fast food places around here have the fancy touchscreen coke dispensers haha, I'm sure they would be quite the hit! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1PoK7yX5zT-UgJX9rgednHnj91jnSlfWd4MEyAqPAxtzibE_iiSDzg5eMjp27Q8U7UnKS3g8mLdKYEgheHEUH2CmV1l7cM9AX1tVgaWvtX7-t81P2yE7UVuPnbeiG6GvmpvMK2QB/s1600/IMG_5273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1PoK7yX5zT-UgJX9rgednHnj91jnSlfWd4MEyAqPAxtzibE_iiSDzg5eMjp27Q8U7UnKS3g8mLdKYEgheHEUH2CmV1l7cM9AX1tVgaWvtX7-t81P2yE7UVuPnbeiG6GvmpvMK2QB/s200/IMG_5273.jpg" width="200" /></a> <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe17GnSB5So70ZxLHT_DMh11hSvgLp3dWkVMuR2KslJPv5DCnv_lgKwlTpHFZ-EmN46AN9tj2vUBBkX96mS9hWp7zrt72thX0QZR_jdCcjCYUu2bWVo9SqdKNtV14w9BWGlnO4JXyK/s1600/IMG_5285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe17GnSB5So70ZxLHT_DMh11hSvgLp3dWkVMuR2KslJPv5DCnv_lgKwlTpHFZ-EmN46AN9tj2vUBBkX96mS9hWp7zrt72thX0QZR_jdCcjCYUu2bWVo9SqdKNtV14w9BWGlnO4JXyK/s200/IMG_5285.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
And finally we were off to world showcase, where the shopping, eating and drinking could commence! (I should point out at this point we didn't get to the park early, so it was well past noon before we started drinking haha!! And due to some medication I was taking, I settled with trying a little bit of everyone's drinks, since the pill bottles said not to drink, and I'm a lightweight at it is!) <br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KyIcaNHChEnp2JAw4dMGUGlgXIT-rt0LkXFLON_dwTUpSSXlkC86yry5UIBQfucKuu5DcN_8ccUqxZO1y4H9QO0p5lmkyM88RS2EPPwVxOgLA7iK1ELtaXdQmKacSv2edSaLulxG/s1600/IMG_5283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KyIcaNHChEnp2JAw4dMGUGlgXIT-rt0LkXFLON_dwTUpSSXlkC86yry5UIBQfucKuu5DcN_8ccUqxZO1y4H9QO0p5lmkyM88RS2EPPwVxOgLA7iK1ELtaXdQmKacSv2edSaLulxG/s320/IMG_5283.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks to the lower crowd volumes (at least before 5pm when the locals get off work and come to eat and drink!) October is a great time to see the characters and not have to wait in forever long lines! We randomly found Aurora in France and my muscle man was a bit star struck so we just had to go introduce ourselves =P He's only ever met 'mascots' and cosplayers before, so the whole idea of a real character was a bit new to him, he was quite impressed by all the lovely princesses (and mice, ducks, and loyal pet dogs!) that we ran into. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FtEMqB9RuQfuDoyRy-7_eW6uEFegA-8uSVH24y9cN19QkF61Ch236fhG88T-oH86Z8Sy1R5gDj3fC4d4eZR5eGjX-0-w1X7SMln1UpL3Rm0JTK7siHC8N1CRt-2CmsCOKqYEL78Z/s1600/IMG_5298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FtEMqB9RuQfuDoyRy-7_eW6uEFegA-8uSVH24y9cN19QkF61Ch236fhG88T-oH86Z8Sy1R5gDj3fC4d4eZR5eGjX-0-w1X7SMln1UpL3Rm0JTK7siHC8N1CRt-2CmsCOKqYEL78Z/s200/IMG_5298.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHufq9iPDgsbOjz3lA0hJi3WLBT2nMIyC8vgftU_efbm3hDFL-_K-1xJDuO9k752jR4HVmJNmVNglQyrqzWWParIjny7o4q1BXnMOiuUorhe7hAmHT-dtusKOlUwOY6QxpEMF_ChYJ/s1600/IMG_5296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHufq9iPDgsbOjz3lA0hJi3WLBT2nMIyC8vgftU_efbm3hDFL-_K-1xJDuO9k752jR4HVmJNmVNglQyrqzWWParIjny7o4q1BXnMOiuUorhe7hAmHT-dtusKOlUwOY6QxpEMF_ChYJ/s200/IMG_5296.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWFOOhwNfMJvsz5w4IFSbgu9U7bFHIiwOkopWEeOe3As44IdsxaFS10uoCexaiPQ2LYrF7sIZ9P10sAHZ6S4X1fxe88Q67D_VmnproXBPFwZP3fDWZMD1WhMQMg5LLUZUItd08YFK/s1600/IMG_5299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWFOOhwNfMJvsz5w4IFSbgu9U7bFHIiwOkopWEeOe3As44IdsxaFS10uoCexaiPQ2LYrF7sIZ9P10sAHZ6S4X1fxe88Q67D_VmnproXBPFwZP3fDWZMD1WhMQMg5LLUZUItd08YFK/s200/IMG_5299.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KKT0Qpj4lzf_vKgipkC4Nd3g5MlmjU7tG29j5fF-P9Ku-qr4kOc_8TU_ibntpt-lbJUDfDe5pyKR603O4tXdSU0GQCDvL-4c0pqCpC128Mk0E78pIpt_nRAZ2jbmJLpsHR9CtM6Z/s1600/IMG_5297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KKT0Qpj4lzf_vKgipkC4Nd3g5MlmjU7tG29j5fF-P9Ku-qr4kOc_8TU_ibntpt-lbJUDfDe5pyKR603O4tXdSU0GQCDvL-4c0pqCpC128Mk0E78pIpt_nRAZ2jbmJLpsHR9CtM6Z/s200/IMG_5297.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZx2KzYHeuigqCbEsnOdFjmyvd3tvzdd1HTWOCSPYxCYebUDhg8Kk5hYMCPcoYxEfQ2Z59Dk-ky5HNUjgsbf0wtoVebu6y2GTmCUzTmDH3ycug0cWIfAYu99NeMYyKfGHrF9O2XNEx/s1600/IMG_5328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZx2KzYHeuigqCbEsnOdFjmyvd3tvzdd1HTWOCSPYxCYebUDhg8Kk5hYMCPcoYxEfQ2Z59Dk-ky5HNUjgsbf0wtoVebu6y2GTmCUzTmDH3ycug0cWIfAYu99NeMYyKfGHrF9O2XNEx/s200/IMG_5328.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicn2vMoBZkV_2fh1wnJutgpluigXwOEZ91idbQ1n2gmCebvdLH5qcFwl3Z0EwktqpgxgqibsoPeX05UfUkJQF3SE-5lG-nvudEuhP5CUxFvQJ6orm18N1eyMJPvwG9Jy8Y1H3yv8wa/s1600/IMG_5315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicn2vMoBZkV_2fh1wnJutgpluigXwOEZ91idbQ1n2gmCebvdLH5qcFwl3Z0EwktqpgxgqibsoPeX05UfUkJQF3SE-5lG-nvudEuhP5CUxFvQJ6orm18N1eyMJPvwG9Jy8Y1H3yv8wa/s200/IMG_5315.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2L44ikwEqEIhsV0ghoIpzJmyHVdLwIV7FPtIDfkpP-ifcq-5ARfbMZsZZF16JCApDbOKAbO9CZzWK086wZHBK88YbOFerUX-3PU9h3qgPHzUJpwm2XcmP8WNY9PjN96MSoLRU-f8s/s1600/IMG_5337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2L44ikwEqEIhsV0ghoIpzJmyHVdLwIV7FPtIDfkpP-ifcq-5ARfbMZsZZF16JCApDbOKAbO9CZzWK086wZHBK88YbOFerUX-3PU9h3qgPHzUJpwm2XcmP8WNY9PjN96MSoLRU-f8s/s200/IMG_5337.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LA_1R_nbkeio3tttDqBMUvChCK9OC60L5BLozVnhF4IvpEOciXHGhVk8To4P9CBFqBixW_BMFyEqAsoKdPn_fsCWp-h2dOA5miJNkZW_Vqck0fRFfGScFKEQeKtpdAsvR01wppoE/s1600/IMG_5338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LA_1R_nbkeio3tttDqBMUvChCK9OC60L5BLozVnhF4IvpEOciXHGhVk8To4P9CBFqBixW_BMFyEqAsoKdPn_fsCWp-h2dOA5miJNkZW_Vqck0fRFfGScFKEQeKtpdAsvR01wppoE/s200/IMG_5338.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I had intentions of getting photos of our food as we went along, but with a hungry (and slightly drunk) muscle man, that was pretty near impossible even when I did remember that I wanted to get a shot =P However, I did get one shot of this fabulous "off-the-menu-special" that was over in China I'd never tried, I think it was teriyaki chicken over rice that was really quite good, though I did miss the orange chicken a little bit. (we only ordered one entree each time we ate, then split it, that way we got hungry more often and could try more stuff!!!) And then it started getting dark, which meant it was time for the beer to take over! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68fvRlSoIJRoy8yoVCiq-udidWu3T5uCB8hyphenhyphenibbnPxlZZr1KUgTl647XWGeIFrYM8GKr-WxgRkefYXdidutMOU8i47VCf4e911uIWWOeX9pprq_XSJFb55IOGMgd_t6qPun6DcSTs/s1600/IMG_5354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68fvRlSoIJRoy8yoVCiq-udidWu3T5uCB8hyphenhyphenibbnPxlZZr1KUgTl647XWGeIFrYM8GKr-WxgRkefYXdidutMOU8i47VCf4e911uIWWOeX9pprq_XSJFb55IOGMgd_t6qPun6DcSTs/s200/IMG_5354.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHI1_IUKFgpOaYXhthYpwCnfsK4n5aqTS46xUAh4LzhG_AsgdbQQUnIbfJvG5hnKTZH_gB0UJZdJhKg1CaUUMzhl8lrDbwj-oBOF6yl4o8gYWOqY7ZXpvi_2vtDMQxwVe_zhGAqP3/s1600/IMG_5355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHI1_IUKFgpOaYXhthYpwCnfsK4n5aqTS46xUAh4LzhG_AsgdbQQUnIbfJvG5hnKTZH_gB0UJZdJhKg1CaUUMzhl8lrDbwj-oBOF6yl4o8gYWOqY7ZXpvi_2vtDMQxwVe_zhGAqP3/s200/IMG_5355.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
During the food and wine festival they have this amazing beer 'emporium' set up next to Germany, where they offer beer samplers for a pretty decent (for Disney at least) price. They had two different options for the 4 beer sample packs, so my muscle man got one, and my bestie's man got the other. And then we all compared which ones were the best! For me and mine, it was definitely this fruity mid-range beer, don't remember what it was, but considering I don't drink beer, it was pretty tasty! As for the beer man in the group, my bestie's boyfriend loved the dark, hoppy brews... yuck! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZ-_1dDmyTc4x8xxXiQtklSfJGO6VbSQjvGNpbeQDR3ove9SEBSVYzze6XmywpxlgClxRPCIoqXn3qW2C3zk8EGgxgtFd2p5HtZZbmsZEcf5jVM5Uud1SepP7KgfjcHEvA_W3hu5B/s1600/IMG_5358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZ-_1dDmyTc4x8xxXiQtklSfJGO6VbSQjvGNpbeQDR3ove9SEBSVYzze6XmywpxlgClxRPCIoqXn3qW2C3zk8EGgxgtFd2p5HtZZbmsZEcf5jVM5Uud1SepP7KgfjcHEvA_W3hu5B/s200/IMG_5358.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmP_0AyFf2pmh1K2Xb_L9rn9U08DWmBcxM5Wz22rLFMOLdBd1LFydvBOmErkSFyP-9Hj_osXKbmUdcZuEza7ubhowA4dj0FxI5ihznZTWfGLxY16Jr9vZEtMwPeYd83e8JFXzBajMU/s1600/IMG_5361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmP_0AyFf2pmh1K2Xb_L9rn9U08DWmBcxM5Wz22rLFMOLdBd1LFydvBOmErkSFyP-9Hj_osXKbmUdcZuEza7ubhowA4dj0FxI5ihznZTWfGLxY16Jr9vZEtMwPeYd83e8JFXzBajMU/s200/IMG_5361.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7aqHSeAcN9_R-fN1I60HCkll13esNcHkxPFDDSK3ATfqZ9CAKkNs8LNc0wQCbKCAI352JxTsOTt5MoFJRDOGyH9QJlsJVkjVzF7LPj3XUyYidSV1uW_W7nB0VOaOATDnXclUGkSg/s1600/IMG_5387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7aqHSeAcN9_R-fN1I60HCkll13esNcHkxPFDDSK3ATfqZ9CAKkNs8LNc0wQCbKCAI352JxTsOTt5MoFJRDOGyH9QJlsJVkjVzF7LPj3XUyYidSV1uW_W7nB0VOaOATDnXclUGkSg/s200/IMG_5387.jpg" width="200" /></a> All that beer (mixed with all the grand marnier slushes, sake, and norweigian liqueur) had the boys feeling a bit more than tipsy, so we grabbed a little dessert and found a spot for the fireworks! I just love the music for Illuminations, which worked out great since I sat us right under a speaker lol! What a great day at EPCOT! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492945401392894191.post-91486852032079133022012-10-24T21:53:00.001-05:002012-10-24T21:53:07.506-05:00Day 3: A Disney Proposal in the Wild<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Since
my muscle man had only ever been to Disney World once before, and it
had only been for one day, he had never made it to the Animal Kingdom. So this time around, he was super excited to get to see all the animals, and enjoy some of the amazing rides and shows that Animal Kingdom has to offer. Of course, little did he know I had a little secret hiding for him as well! (more on that later!) </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When we got there we were just in time to get one of the last seats for a showing of Festival of the Lion King. Admittedly, this show was less for the boys (we again went to the park with my bestie and her bf) and more for the ladies! =D These costumes are amazing, and the show itself is just so unusual and very fun to watch! Plus, as a theater in the round, no one has a bad seat and it's very fun to see the action so close to you. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsOHDq72GpggSUEJM0jhk7dPHiBxxkEiB1OTnpc8T9u3LjAGiWz_XtiQtw7mpG2xcoVwhW9ENvoTQ39pp3hKvipiCwnN2TKP_z9Xyp9G6p63syklme5MSn7d8K8j3BxcIT9aP-jgf/s1600/IMG_5029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsOHDq72GpggSUEJM0jhk7dPHiBxxkEiB1OTnpc8T9u3LjAGiWz_XtiQtw7mpG2xcoVwhW9ENvoTQ39pp3hKvipiCwnN2TKP_z9Xyp9G6p63syklme5MSn7d8K8j3BxcIT9aP-jgf/s200/IMG_5029.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31s0UuS1YSfqEP-TpABKRHqN543kIBt54ZJeAm8242pDAVjnPpOSNg0q-TnE5g6Rno2gv0S4efn11hzv2GP9v41t77DrRA5lWDJAo15PRUaUJGmfm-l6RGPEeV8XFPdIQxBf7MfL-/s1600/IMG_5024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31s0UuS1YSfqEP-TpABKRHqN543kIBt54ZJeAm8242pDAVjnPpOSNg0q-TnE5g6Rno2gv0S4efn11hzv2GP9v41t77DrRA5lWDJAo15PRUaUJGmfm-l6RGPEeV8XFPdIQxBf7MfL-/s200/IMG_5024.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4cozV0Vc8CBd7aoNX8zeJ6n9nEeOd7ieS2qohC-Sz1uzCP9Cv6Np3hoAOIdCUOAjQuVzSjYSGRuIL4A1C53Khv-9UY3sr-PQIgD8aJmmNVrre5C9yOGdBEPfctZmCSr09cTE5Y_jP/s1600/IMG_5055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4cozV0Vc8CBd7aoNX8zeJ6n9nEeOd7ieS2qohC-Sz1uzCP9Cv6Np3hoAOIdCUOAjQuVzSjYSGRuIL4A1C53Khv-9UY3sr-PQIgD8aJmmNVrre5C9yOGdBEPfctZmCSr09cTE5Y_jP/s200/IMG_5055.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ohI59rZMcvh7mXUWrpUWNv_7A2Pv19QBsGQd3IqBarUB7ALv91NKyg8S6e4aHUvxV4Aa-KrvuQ8JsxVGNbYHltM5WJuAIhrUzedTLKB0AtAtG_OpQZEo9cnvJQcggNeeGU5uhNbz/s1600/IMG_5044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ohI59rZMcvh7mXUWrpUWNv_7A2Pv19QBsGQd3IqBarUB7ALv91NKyg8S6e4aHUvxV4Aa-KrvuQ8JsxVGNbYHltM5WJuAIhrUzedTLKB0AtAtG_OpQZEo9cnvJQcggNeeGU5uhNbz/s200/IMG_5044.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And of course, no visit to Animal Kingdom would be complete without getting a shot of the Tree of Life... The muscle man really enjoyed seeing all the animals carved into the stump, and of course the jungle-like ambiance of all the pathways. On the downside, now he wants our backyard to look like this, complete with waterfalls! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMRB-aPd0399w-6RO5cGW32JaqgCD3Ep_iRvYjdi7FYPCR8irHq46rodHDVjKaoP3FENAwmencBKZUmu31GDvv7D3VGqqotjHvhZPDFgeMN4YwSYh75GjAabww3iD3jMrT4YBd6Ak/s1600/IMG_5059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMRB-aPd0399w-6RO5cGW32JaqgCD3Ep_iRvYjdi7FYPCR8irHq46rodHDVjKaoP3FENAwmencBKZUmu31GDvv7D3VGqqotjHvhZPDFgeMN4YwSYh75GjAabww3iD3jMrT4YBd6Ak/s320/IMG_5059.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
And then after lunch we were off to Expedition Everest! I'm very much a fan of this coaster, it's really intense but it's just so much fun... It's like 2 of my favorite Magic Kingdom attractions mixed together (Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad) and kicked up to 11! My muscle man was super impressed with the theming, it's almost a shame that we had fastpasses both times we rode (yay for my friend and her man backing out, giving us a chance to ride back to back!!) But at least they have changed the queue lines to make it so fastpass users still get to enjoy a shorter version of the backstory/expedition stuff, when the ride first opened fastpass went straight through without seeing any of the queue! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iOBbKiMxkEQRNWhb-Yr71EDfoZWKuw8pn3lnpm5otQ7ZgGX4J36HtlTSwbSEU-khuGF6n1mBeGH-MKvNqcxvdu-51MrGEHi1NlqWqw7e-u4DMCFdYK8n1PW-T5osl1sYga-oxGsC/s1600/IMG_5067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iOBbKiMxkEQRNWhb-Yr71EDfoZWKuw8pn3lnpm5otQ7ZgGX4J36HtlTSwbSEU-khuGF6n1mBeGH-MKvNqcxvdu-51MrGEHi1NlqWqw7e-u4DMCFdYK8n1PW-T5osl1sYga-oxGsC/s200/IMG_5067.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9md2nAEKjciO1d0rClO-SeuNLNdLyTJEUCEJMAowNHsDD-FDATfSyC8WMTfH_OGr1eCAsiegk7DFraOfPghr9G0ka_5WxiKj0iaVFFjaTImXXxlNzP6QOc7DX6LjDfeGlPixsBUx/s1600/IMG_5062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9md2nAEKjciO1d0rClO-SeuNLNdLyTJEUCEJMAowNHsDD-FDATfSyC8WMTfH_OGr1eCAsiegk7DFraOfPghr9G0ka_5WxiKj0iaVFFjaTImXXxlNzP6QOc7DX6LjDfeGlPixsBUx/s200/IMG_5062.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRs6XEyVqHQIqbT1p9riA7l1pg8jvkTh-qEUO_JDiqdR5c9HrvsrMmGypz1aziouJ5oWm08nUmu3j41UswtgF89r8InTJgioNMS6YVi7CvOy5prr10UzTlTdtw1SjmsQYIlk_xI6oa/s1600/IMG_5078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRs6XEyVqHQIqbT1p9riA7l1pg8jvkTh-qEUO_JDiqdR5c9HrvsrMmGypz1aziouJ5oWm08nUmu3j41UswtgF89r8InTJgioNMS6YVi7CvOy5prr10UzTlTdtw1SjmsQYIlk_xI6oa/s200/IMG_5078.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRAyGFQntzLaWOIKD5Ztxv4fnFFSLyrpKYqvZBr4gu0ZXZKdMjy_MYsgdJBS66bp3FZMIbevBTagVHKInLkQP0fIkYaI8_OvCg8VH-XC3hcQeQYD_fD_IiOLkxGt5MOTyq15ndFfz/s1600/IMG_5077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRAyGFQntzLaWOIKD5Ztxv4fnFFSLyrpKYqvZBr4gu0ZXZKdMjy_MYsgdJBS66bp3FZMIbevBTagVHKInLkQP0fIkYaI8_OvCg8VH-XC3hcQeQYD_fD_IiOLkxGt5MOTyq15ndFfz/s200/IMG_5077.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepkLPEqHX1H0GngNEuHQC2Xupcy9SnbZ7pIzv-ccssipT0lZOMid_O4lGunq4j9qmkC_rz3CefhU9vp2CzNHF9seN116eByFXGN082Cd-QmSR7XIZtrn1zX1SoAiyMJGg12uVdD5-/s1600/IMG_5068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepkLPEqHX1H0GngNEuHQC2Xupcy9SnbZ7pIzv-ccssipT0lZOMid_O4lGunq4j9qmkC_rz3CefhU9vp2CzNHF9seN116eByFXGN082Cd-QmSR7XIZtrn1zX1SoAiyMJGg12uVdD5-/s200/IMG_5068.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvVZjnOOxHcvLn-8UiyYBgroIJ4PvQNVtLE_i6yvP2xD7IUuWmzfexgsNJhAnAcsCSmlqF2G3bfV5WfMquQMTGa4-4s6MmSqTOoEA8AA1Cl8_mFQjqUrpacJ5BUwPZeEPZ_vGju9U/s1600/IMG_5071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvVZjnOOxHcvLn-8UiyYBgroIJ4PvQNVtLE_i6yvP2xD7IUuWmzfexgsNJhAnAcsCSmlqF2G3bfV5WfMquQMTGa4-4s6MmSqTOoEA8AA1Cl8_mFQjqUrpacJ5BUwPZeEPZ_vGju9U/s200/IMG_5071.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKRm-hyQZHMP-rkSw3BSn6T_3-RqYdCnqbfh9pEUor7Z-gW6-6iVvR1xt_uDZsEeo5RrhNHVTRHQCdyeu3wWI0aoJYENVNYRLuSHxyNCqOZX4871Hwojo_7KYm5bcuoZ_GZLgw_Oc/s1600/IMG_5070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKRm-hyQZHMP-rkSw3BSn6T_3-RqYdCnqbfh9pEUor7Z-gW6-6iVvR1xt_uDZsEeo5RrhNHVTRHQCdyeu3wWI0aoJYENVNYRLuSHxyNCqOZX4871Hwojo_7KYm5bcuoZ_GZLgw_Oc/s200/IMG_5070.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I figured this was another good ride to turn the camera on myself and the muscle man, haha he had no clue what was coming next and that was so much fun to experience, especially on a ride like this with so many surprises! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUItWa7aZDcgramBfiIu7mfnmU6T6DuandIiIm1FdXed_ddDuovdhq4koxe2q6VZRAn9iPJUosQXJx9YMQ37skDEc6hdSI67qvsXFobixsEHwcYqQiyFTmaI7EgPxq-AnlUEzMurj/s1600/IMG_5095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUItWa7aZDcgramBfiIu7mfnmU6T6DuandIiIm1FdXed_ddDuovdhq4koxe2q6VZRAn9iPJUosQXJx9YMQ37skDEc6hdSI67qvsXFobixsEHwcYqQiyFTmaI7EgPxq-AnlUEzMurj/s320/IMG_5095.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Then it was over to DinoLand for even more adrenaline!!<br />
<br />
Dinosaur!! <br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
And then it was over to Primeval Whirl!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pYKIW_zpfFOTYf_nmxaNzjDpr36Bc4bbGcjeWO5meSAcbo2MPHa0CjL4ffO0hR6OAWh3fkHfPESDhwC0_lUJqplEEbDFEy0bzeGeWkOXjasJVXnk4-oPLTncLNis4-mzL4dEMCVh/s1600/IMG_5100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vxyl7LzLfgj4SgqooPL1Ewxbdw5McRgegFZ3fH3ZdD85xTLrcajVAnhQPwEBUgKhnFXl4zO9yMWALQX4EC0A_2gCmKahZ6Fy_NvYU6tMUjjRPl6Kt1U8opEYImFDGjAiDBTksBBh/s1600/IMG_5104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vxyl7LzLfgj4SgqooPL1Ewxbdw5McRgegFZ3fH3ZdD85xTLrcajVAnhQPwEBUgKhnFXl4zO9yMWALQX4EC0A_2gCmKahZ6Fy_NvYU6tMUjjRPl6Kt1U8opEYImFDGjAiDBTksBBh/s200/IMG_5104.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHNC2dvFnWBy_s07lLrV9YdS_vTg4xvEe8ykayt1lMfLJ78E82NU0t8FD8BzvnjaZonZgLegFdrw1ExP4BrNwX595l1pasUSR3yRtcP7pXsa5PzyXy0h9SsFdDzc89Vp_VrZFUVYp/s1600/IMG_5120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHNC2dvFnWBy_s07lLrV9YdS_vTg4xvEe8ykayt1lMfLJ78E82NU0t8FD8BzvnjaZonZgLegFdrw1ExP4BrNwX595l1pasUSR3yRtcP7pXsa5PzyXy0h9SsFdDzc89Vp_VrZFUVYp/s200/IMG_5120.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTfgIXFJQBvaE1X8pIMpryJM98V1EMrAJbembmITC5iHDXw4jD59DBN3jI_H4iyBEKfUywZ0ALgqpq1HyKNkM6VDyasVLKz9UBq8hoWw-S21aXAU-nA_BmGjTFGJHJKnY4D0JPZJr/s1600/IMG_5105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTfgIXFJQBvaE1X8pIMpryJM98V1EMrAJbembmITC5iHDXw4jD59DBN3jI_H4iyBEKfUywZ0ALgqpq1HyKNkM6VDyasVLKz9UBq8hoWw-S21aXAU-nA_BmGjTFGJHJKnY4D0JPZJr/s200/IMG_5105.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWt7yp4XBwTnThG65kVdhEs2biqmzuALLgSRJKa6AOvUwOMPTZXwCTvhkMUi1I3tw0kOyuVq_okMF02vS5V3Tgk46zzFcEnkpZe6B6CeFEJ5mOe2lN9SY-7tf-dLlFxHQ2LGjHpXbl/s1600/IMG_5122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWt7yp4XBwTnThG65kVdhEs2biqmzuALLgSRJKa6AOvUwOMPTZXwCTvhkMUi1I3tw0kOyuVq_okMF02vS5V3Tgk46zzFcEnkpZe6B6CeFEJ5mOe2lN9SY-7tf-dLlFxHQ2LGjHpXbl/s200/IMG_5122.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0q9973obBxnMTJ0Mlq7pnFxGaBOmArOi7p0mbDGTXbH5c1hp8eHZEoO4jSBrhJ91TCq1AbaXU79ehG1gdW20FjF3YHqbO4I8NMIeFzeChUA8zkwaulz0mEXTBpVKsXlcuFd2D47BD/s1600/IMG_5109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0q9973obBxnMTJ0Mlq7pnFxGaBOmArOi7p0mbDGTXbH5c1hp8eHZEoO4jSBrhJ91TCq1AbaXU79ehG1gdW20FjF3YHqbO4I8NMIeFzeChUA8zkwaulz0mEXTBpVKsXlcuFd2D47BD/s200/IMG_5109.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuXm43oPbN9tyhTQug5_ZpYBVjAPF0SCY2Uvh1Xd_eAev7AEYAA8bl5P9pbDFmU8whzAhxWf_ugl1QHclN_FVIosBMIwf-Un9glaIrGK8KP1SOUKeALJyjffAYuyJ3BPPEQt1AouX/s1600/IMG_5124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuXm43oPbN9tyhTQug5_ZpYBVjAPF0SCY2Uvh1Xd_eAev7AEYAA8bl5P9pbDFmU8whzAhxWf_ugl1QHclN_FVIosBMIwf-Un9glaIrGK8KP1SOUKeALJyjffAYuyJ3BPPEQt1AouX/s200/IMG_5124.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktIJZumA4mk675v9fFaBuKzd8KnnlJgH7efaDHbNq25eSrmXTTvtImap6N-vbPy3bGFMHMWfjHIXQ1e0mD7P8Wmnx3SWrBwCe4KENDrkt9pSVTQp7p2lEyv9j2wkrButIBN24Wbhc/s1600/IMG_5111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktIJZumA4mk675v9fFaBuKzd8KnnlJgH7efaDHbNq25eSrmXTTvtImap6N-vbPy3bGFMHMWfjHIXQ1e0mD7P8Wmnx3SWrBwCe4KENDrkt9pSVTQp7p2lEyv9j2wkrButIBN24Wbhc/s200/IMG_5111.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAw_c79GiU_QyB2NHHiW4RBYknEr-ilJCh-80tTZ6pBS3cY31FT4HvLVKbOmzBlNJYU9WdQAeV_Ab36bMBz8thbNPJnBGB3rfi-yFITfX-Al_OiMfuXOCpb1hsXkGj6guBYxUgYSI2/s1600/IMG_5126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAw_c79GiU_QyB2NHHiW4RBYknEr-ilJCh-80tTZ6pBS3cY31FT4HvLVKbOmzBlNJYU9WdQAeV_Ab36bMBz8thbNPJnBGB3rfi-yFITfX-Al_OiMfuXOCpb1hsXkGj6guBYxUgYSI2/s200/IMG_5126.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Next we were off to a little afternoon safari! </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEVgueTmHpcwkv8JP2Q2kuqZ1x0fiO7xJMSkEJo2L64EPHFKEdZcLL81YOPyoZrwkXgUuKz9LMNvbBlqEBOVd_WM5SrKLj76tMd5Sw-NhxUbIsqLfbPWtYU-yUQ76rnTODXK8i9k4/s1600/IMG_5131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEVgueTmHpcwkv8JP2Q2kuqZ1x0fiO7xJMSkEJo2L64EPHFKEdZcLL81YOPyoZrwkXgUuKz9LMNvbBlqEBOVd_WM5SrKLj76tMd5Sw-NhxUbIsqLfbPWtYU-yUQ76rnTODXK8i9k4/s200/IMG_5131.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFtelurpLzr-rVLS4mJq1I97G3nePoYB8P-OTPfpLWpQsQxTZyHWCdyNQiEuHzfQkmNFAunddTiJIH6jUeYXd40nP202wPsZM1ch26hh0ERf2SikVZzOl1ynSL_cuI4IrLHT0kVMr/s1600/IMG_5136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFtelurpLzr-rVLS4mJq1I97G3nePoYB8P-OTPfpLWpQsQxTZyHWCdyNQiEuHzfQkmNFAunddTiJIH6jUeYXd40nP202wPsZM1ch26hh0ERf2SikVZzOl1ynSL_cuI4IrLHT0kVMr/s200/IMG_5136.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2tnEpFF3QoTJtr-D_iEOEX2FxZSh53XTxZPq8auDvvMsQC6Z7aOMiDzT78MO9OqOMTcvs7wAUvoUc2bpRRxi4v3guvKI11iOF3ueIiUXyqg3JVnMR8QGKckxGl9rDYKJe2KR5DbZ/s1600/IMG_5144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2tnEpFF3QoTJtr-D_iEOEX2FxZSh53XTxZPq8auDvvMsQC6Z7aOMiDzT78MO9OqOMTcvs7wAUvoUc2bpRRxi4v3guvKI11iOF3ueIiUXyqg3JVnMR8QGKckxGl9rDYKJe2KR5DbZ/s200/IMG_5144.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEVgueTmHpcwkv8JP2Q2kuqZ1x0fiO7xJMSkEJo2L64EPHFKEdZcLL81YOPyoZrwkXgUuKz9LMNvbBlqEBOVd_WM5SrKLj76tMd5Sw-NhxUbIsqLfbPWtYU-yUQ76rnTODXK8i9k4/s1600/IMG_5131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIaQWDt-3xghPShNOqO9osjhHSwCFB88VS7kpTUXaRjuPQyO5JCDjLyicZm841MjfTigSGJ1krrhT3cocs1Zn2aaHv3v3TcBK3t-l7N8z-8YNCwAqOcp8ck4mfj5jYvP-9357POVF/s1600/IMG_5139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIaQWDt-3xghPShNOqO9osjhHSwCFB88VS7kpTUXaRjuPQyO5JCDjLyicZm841MjfTigSGJ1krrhT3cocs1Zn2aaHv3v3TcBK3t-l7N8z-8YNCwAqOcp8ck4mfj5jYvP-9357POVF/s200/IMG_5139.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmuhGK9fscvq_izmZ79SAsbVxw-SVdiTviq8TxtPE8h_OedavOPcWvcGP3-iggguXBJT0i0SYa1evDM47F5XeUTIqRLyuPW2HmI8M2WXIHm0uF59aynPX4UMrTCv-19QdF44WuheT/s1600/IMG_5150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmuhGK9fscvq_izmZ79SAsbVxw-SVdiTviq8TxtPE8h_OedavOPcWvcGP3-iggguXBJT0i0SYa1evDM47F5XeUTIqRLyuPW2HmI8M2WXIHm0uF59aynPX4UMrTCv-19QdF44WuheT/s200/IMG_5150.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDgCL-mzRV58lMesevHeRojw9VRgvQE_Gi55Vpz5Ra9Fr9NwkBQADYGJ_lhekhsuQabrWIoWy_Logy0Rjs2sLA5s02PZrbcE85EYLTyjtcGrZE8-IZhk9efQejt34G7Jr0oWyxC0f/s1600/IMG_5142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDgCL-mzRV58lMesevHeRojw9VRgvQE_Gi55Vpz5Ra9Fr9NwkBQADYGJ_lhekhsuQabrWIoWy_Logy0Rjs2sLA5s02PZrbcE85EYLTyjtcGrZE8-IZhk9efQejt34G7Jr0oWyxC0f/s200/IMG_5142.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimfrQUuQQ69TCQ6Vk0Kc7Oa4SvUIU7VFwyAQM0eRccZe9w-0zjoQTfRdLzpZP0C4WdENWEMblu7Y6tcO4xzNdjOjwhCTyZb65n0SZ5eLNOQekIbrxngZaaXbcr8co1pqJHbGP3XdD/s1600/IMG_5151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimfrQUuQQ69TCQ6Vk0Kc7Oa4SvUIU7VFwyAQM0eRccZe9w-0zjoQTfRdLzpZP0C4WdENWEMblu7Y6tcO4xzNdjOjwhCTyZb65n0SZ5eLNOQekIbrxngZaaXbcr8co1pqJHbGP3XdD/s200/IMG_5151.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
And after spending a fabulous day at Animal Kingdom, my muscle man unintentionally chose the perfect location for his own little surprise gift from me. He suggested we go get some photos in a little cove with a great view, and I knew it was the right time to unveil my secret! I had secretly gotten him a new wedding ring, since he lost his original one a few months back while trying to pretty up the yard at the new house... He was pretty bummed he had lost the ring, so I figured giving him a new one with an unforgettable story would cheer him up! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCv2KwEkYoheoBhdLG00pVG1URHCWktC_MvZh-DmHPZFuW8f7T9ROI2CMwvUAUVwIBtQr0-6mfC7pP3aGjGBPUVk4qzTJaX-iPdtsbOiuKigj5kiBDBaSsSzecpMN2PAzRnljFayg/s1600/IMG_5159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCv2KwEkYoheoBhdLG00pVG1URHCWktC_MvZh-DmHPZFuW8f7T9ROI2CMwvUAUVwIBtQr0-6mfC7pP3aGjGBPUVk4qzTJaX-iPdtsbOiuKigj5kiBDBaSsSzecpMN2PAzRnljFayg/s320/IMG_5159.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqDWhxBv5htOlfHQhq6ENyrCrby5-Dpkvu11rCMBMsHjJizFoPAIDTYMZIwHoZXPhQEZzFX9Gj9-yMcLfxyLPa0hVIC86vnRz3w_p8xiT5VWi65vdAN7fpiUIHWOYW6ZsYBMAEr3N/s1600/IMG_5157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqDWhxBv5htOlfHQhq6ENyrCrby5-Dpkvu11rCMBMsHjJizFoPAIDTYMZIwHoZXPhQEZzFX9Gj9-yMcLfxyLPa0hVIC86vnRz3w_p8xiT5VWi65vdAN7fpiUIHWOYW6ZsYBMAEr3N/s320/IMG_5157.jpg" width="214" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
And you know he said yes =P Not like he really had a choice lol! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWDBOx0DqhzmhaIzOD1Zlz4nODAIHrpgKxwbJUSKHkSaYb4QBnL_5RbCWA4BFEPMVYuL5-D7RxTPX4H4gTrGZYilBBrKG2Bg5WzjSl_DGJvHA80CjUi60NVZzBo8sVjJ3DtYUsxSH0/s1600/IMG_5161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWDBOx0DqhzmhaIzOD1Zlz4nODAIHrpgKxwbJUSKHkSaYb4QBnL_5RbCWA4BFEPMVYuL5-D7RxTPX4H4gTrGZYilBBrKG2Bg5WzjSl_DGJvHA80CjUi60NVZzBo8sVjJ3DtYUsxSH0/s320/IMG_5161.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
Project 27http://www.blogger.com/profile/11639373847076285665noreply@blogger.com1