Mulberry Street

There is just no other way to catch up on our daily happenings than to binge on the following recap for the month of November.  Thanks for being patient and understanding of all the randomness. Genevieve has quite the ability to make a fashion statement.  This day she sported stripes with a dash of polka dots.  Yes, to a preschooler - this is matching. With winter looming, we've tried to make it to the park as often as possible and enjoy the sunshine while it still has the ability to warm your skin. For our Stake Service Day, Eric was charged with the responsibility of organizing and executing a 5K fun run and food drive.  There were two 5K course routes and kids dashes for fiver different age groups.  It was a lot of work and all the members of the committee did a wonderful job!  Neither of us actually ran since we were too busy with the race itself.  I volunteered as a photographer on the course while Eric ...

  These are the debut shots from my new Canon 7D.  When I put the 50mm lens on it, I felt like I had superhuman power - it is awesome!

I couldn't think of a better way to spend the 5:00pm hour. 11/17

I wish I had more time to sort and post pictures from France.  However, I'm 99% positive that reality won't let me.  Bummer.  Someday I'll get around to printing off my favorites in a book.  Maybe I'll even get around to writing down memories when we enjoyed the shade of the plane trees... I did manage to finish uploading all the photos from our France trip. Go to: http://melayela.shutterfly.com/ --> then click on "Pictures" to view the seven different albums and hundreds of pictures from our two week stint abroad. Also, here are the highlights that I posted on the blog in the previous months: Mont Ventoux , Sault , Markets , Aix en Provence , Doors , and Misc Faves 1 .

I got my braces off.  They are gone - the brackets, the wires, the chains.  Gone, all gone.  I had braces on for almost three years - 2 years, 10 months, and 11 days, to be exact.  It was fabulous to get them off.  It was fabulous to run my tongue over my teeth.  It was fabulous to floss.  It was fabulous to eat trailmix without spending the next five minutes cleaning bits out of my braces.  In fact, everything about eating is fabulous now. I am very happy with the results.  I had forgotten how bad my teeth had been, until I saw the mold from my very first appointment.  The straightening and repositioning of my teeth was so gradual that I lost track of the transformation.  In fact, I was worried that I was getting my braces off prematurely.  But, when I walked in for my appointment I couldn't stop smiling.  I was more than ready to get them off and suddenly nervous they would decide to make ...

Remember all those things you learned once you started school?  Every time Genevieve comes home from preschool, she reminds me of something long forgotten.  A song.  A rhyme.  A game.  It has actually been enjoyable to join in the fun with Genevieve.  It surprises her when I know the words too.  With a how-on-earth-do-you-know-this look on her face she inquires about my knowledge.  Kids forget that their parents were kids too...once.  Here are some of the gems Genevieve has been reciting most recently.  I have no idea how to spell some of these things, but you should be able to figure it out, once the tune enters your mind. Do your ears hang low?  Do they wobble too and fro?  Can you tie them in a knot?  Can you tie them in a bow?  Can you throw them over your shoulder like a continental soilder?  Do your ears hang low? Bubble gum, Bubble gum in a dish - how many pieces do you wish? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5....

My friend just returned home from serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints .  I got to be there to witness the joyful reunion.  Serving a mission is a huge sacrifice - for the individual and the family.  However, as a result, there are innumerable blessings that come into their lives.  I loved watching this fabulous family embrace after an eighteen months apart.  Welcome home Hermana.  Welcome home.

It's autumn-time.  It's autumn-time.  The leaves are falling down.  It's autumn-time. It's autumn-time. It's all around the town.  It's autumn-time.  It's autumn-time.  There's yellow, red, and brown.  It's autumn-time.  It's autumn-time.  Bright colors can be found. Primary Songbook At risk of repeating myself - I love fall.  It is breathtaking here in Virginia.  This year's autumn has been long.  I took some of these shots weeks ago and some this morning.  And, there are still many trees that have yet to change color.  I don't mind autumn lingering around though, we're good friends and I like it's company. It's difficult to capture the exact mood of nature sometimes.  What you see with the naked eye is always better than a photograph.  But, once in awhile you can get pretty close at capturing it all.  I got an amazing shot.  Sorry for the vanity, but...l...