Mulberry Street

Don't get the wrong idea here, I'm not complaining about being on vacation. It's just that I thought we'd enjoy a little more sun and perhaps warmer weather than NoVA . After the first three days of rain and snow I would have been happy with plain sunshine, but now I want it all - sun and 70 degrees. Today we braved the 25 mph winds and frigid temperatures to hike around while Eric rode the Slickrock Trail on his mountain bike. We made it about 3/4 mile before we tried to hide from the wind in a small cove. Luckily, Eric showed up the same time as the snow so we could all go back to the car. Oh well, the weather is supposed to get better on Sunday - the day AFTER we leave. Such is life.

Could there be a better combination?

Genevieve wanted to make sure we packed EVERYTHING and didn't forget anything. I don't think I'll let her take all those medals. With checked luggage and weight restrictions those golds would push us over. See you in awhile!

I came across this photo of baby Genevieve today.

Have you forgotten what your toes look like? I think I completely forgot what my toes looked like during these past winter months. They stayed warm in socks all winter long but I've pulled out some sandals (not because it is sandal weather, but because I'm trying to be optimistic about spring coming and I think this helps) and all of a sudden I can see my toes again. I may be the only one, but, I don't really like my toes. Or anybody's toes for that matter. They are funny body parts if you really think about it. My second toe (on both feet) is a tad longer than my big toe. Some say it means you're intelligent. Eric likes to tease me about my toe length (thanks mom). I think a foot overall can be attractive, but just toes - not so much. Anyway now that my toes are a little more visible I am forced to decide on whether to paint my toe nails or whether to hide them away a little while longer, at least until some more toes come out from hibernation. Just food for tho...

In case your interested I thought I would start sharing some random photo tips from various sources. I added my two-cents [in brackets]. Most things are common sense but it doesn't hurt to be reminded of basic tips like these. How to Organize a Do-It-Yourself Baby Photo Shoot by Shutterfly.com Want adorable pictures of your baby without getting professional portraits taken? You can take great-looking pictures at home with a do-it-yourself photo shoot that consists of lighting, a nice backdrop and your baby. Here’s how it’s done. Hang a backdrop The backdrop of your shoot should be a large piece of fabric that hangs from the wall and down to the floor so it fills the entire camera frame. Solid, bright colors and textured material are fine but they shouldn’t distract from baby. For a more formal portrait backdrop for your baby photos, use a bed sheet—light-colored cotton or dark-colored satin, depending on your style. Keep your baby away from the backdrop so that the she...

Old farm equipment tells a story. You just have to read between the lines and look through the grease. It is interesting to see how far machinery has come. It was once enough to ride in the open air through the fields on a gleaming red tractor. I can picture the field, the farmer, and the tractor working the soil. It sounds a little romantic to me. Maybe I should try out farming. Photo by Alisha Photo date: March 7, 2009

So, I changed my homepage from CNN to NPR. Why the change? I am tired of launching my web browser only to be greeted with garbage. Someone is going to jail. The Dow dived, yet again. Someone lost their house to a fire. CEO's are still flying on corporate jets and going on retreats. Someone murdered their family member(s). Such and such country is enduring civil unrest. You know - sad, bad, and not-so-glad news. This doesn't mean I don't want to read the news or know what is going on out there. I mean, come on it's not like NPR doesn't publish all that stuff too. I just needed a change so I have chosen to use NPR as my news filter. Why? Because in recent years the sensitivity-meter inside my brain has increased. I blame it on having a child, which opened my eyes to a new world of pain and suffering. I am not going to pretend that bad things don't happen. I would just rather remain an optimist rather than a pessimist in today's world. On a lighter note I heard...

Genevieve had a lot to say today. First she and her friend Makenzie exchanged stories over lunch. It was too funny to pass up the opportunity to catch these two discussing - who knows what?! Then after dinner tonight, Genevieve gave us a little recap on today's activities which included Kenzie, Yo Gabba Gabba and Mahna Mahna. It is great to see her develop language skills. If only we could understand what she was telling us. If you want to see what all the fuss is about check out Yo Gabba Gabba here and Mahna Mahna here (something we've posted before).

I forgot to finish and post this old video....

When Genevieve is tired, she reads books with her animals. As dinner time approaches, Genevieve helps cook because she is hungry. Sometimes dinner takes too long and she gets a little cranky. But as soon as the food arrives she is very happy. Genevieve is like that. Genevieve likes to wear hats. She wears her Daddy's hat whenever she finds it. Sometimes Genevieve wakes up a little cranky. She cries, "Daddy" and "Mommy" until someone picks her up. Genevieve can be cranky all day long, but as soon as her Daddy comes home she is happy again. Genevieve is like that. Best of all, Genevieve likes to play. She plays outside in the snow. She plays in her highchair. She also plays with her mommy's makeup. When Genevieve helps cook, she likes to taste the ingredients. She wants to make sure everything tastes just right. Genevieve is like that. Genevieve is always on the move. She tries new things and makes her parents very tired. She has to try to do eve...

Every once in awhile Eric will come back from a workout and tell me how he "bonked." Eric's definition of bonking is to completely run out of energy. Some of you may find it similar to hitting "the wall" during a long run. After you hear about his latest workout you'll understand why he bonked. Since Eric's adventure race is a mere three weeks away, he decided to put in a long brick workout. Saturday morning began early, at 4:40am to be exact. Eric rode his mountain bike 10 miles to Burke Lake. He ran the lake loop twice measuring 9.4 miles. Then he got back on his bike to ride the 8 miles to Fountainhead mountain bike trail. The groomed trail, complete with obstacles and hill climbs measured 9.2 miles. When he was done at Fountainhead he rode 18 miles back home. Total miles completed = 54.6 Eric ran out of food, thus his energy supply, at about mile 34. He ran out of water shortly after at about mile 36. Riding 45 miles on a road bike is nothing. Rid...

I don't know why I thought about this today, but, remember those old stirrup stretch-pants? I kinda miss them. They were sure practical for keeping your socks clean and keeping your pants nice and tight. By today's standard they would be considered an eye-sore for sure, at least the pastel versions we wore back in the day. Sometimes I also almost miss scrunchies...almost. I definitely do not miss those big fluffy bow barrettes that you wore with your hair half up. Wow. I wish I could see a picture of me with one of those in. That would be a sight. The one thing I miss the most about fashion is the straight-leg era. I was really happy during that time when your pant legs were the same width from your thighs to your ankles. I can manage the boot-cut but I don't love it. I definitely can't do skinny jeans. There are some things I will never be comfortable in and skinny jeans lands in that category. What fashion do you miss, but not really?

Today we played in the mud and now I can't get the stains out of some borrowed pants. Today we rolled down grassy hills, then crawled back up walking like bears and growling. Today we re-potted some plants. I got A LOT of help from a certain somebody. Today we blew bubbles, both of us, until we ran out of breath. Today we sat on the steps in the sunlight and soaked up some rays, even Bisous. Today we swung in the swing and slid down the slides. Today Eric rode his bike to and from work. Today we really enjoyed the sunshine and warmer weather.

We went sledding today. Well, we went down the hill once. Does that count? At the bottom of the hill I had to shake out all the snow that crept up my ankles, under my snow-pants. Then I had to carry Genevieve up the hill while trying to keep her gloves on. The top of the hill greeted us with high winds and snow in our faces. The 20 degree temperature and fierce wind forced us back to the car earlier than we anticipated. Will, Genevieve, Alexandra and I were happy to get into the warm car. Andrew, on the other hand wanted to sled some more. Poor Alexandra agreed to stay outside with Andrew while I stayed inside the warm car with Genevieve and Will. When Alyson arrived I tried to tell her to stay inside, that it wasn’t worth it. I’m almost positive that Will and Genevieve had a better time “driving” the car and climbing all over the seats. I was a little concerned that Genevieve would never agree to get in her car seat after pretending to drive. I was right. Somehow...

Quick Tips by Outside Magazine, October 2008 Ditch the Polarizing Filter We know—the guy at the camera store said it's what you need to see into the water. But in the process, it'll oversaturate everything else. Trust us: Ditch the filter. Use a Handheld Light Meter No matter how much you paid for your camera, the light meter inside it will be fooled by the color of the objects it's metering. Point your camera at a snowy mountain and it's going to register brighter than if you point it at a black wall, though the ambient light might be the same in both instances. A handheld meter, which measures the light falling on the meter, rather than the light reflecting off the subject, will give you the perfect exposure every time. Minolta's Flash Meter V isn't made anymore, but it's still the best. $300 (used); keh.com Get Some Taste They say you can't teach it, but we're going to try anyway 1. See the frame as a two-dimensional window. 2. Fill the frame. 3. ...