Mulberry Street

My friends are kind enough to let me practice my photography skills out on them.  It's been interesting/tricky to work with various personalities over a short time.  Snapping a photo seems easy enough, right?  Ha!  Ever worked with a cranky child or multiple family members who close their eyes in sync with the shutter.  I am learning that when working with several subjects, it is quite difficult to get them to move to ten inches to the right.  I am also learning how difficult it is to maintain everyone's attention for the single moment that I need their faces turned forward.  I don't even require smiles mind you, just faces tilted in my general direction.  Yes.  This was good practice.

I took this video of Genevieve, Emory and I riding down Splash Mountain on our first day and it truly captures their feelings about all the rides.  We had so much fun and hope to go again when Benjamin is big enough to ride the roller coasters with us. Magic Kingdom The highlights for Genevieve and Emory were Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  Eric and I loved riding with them and hearing their squeals!  The parades were great, especially the Maleficent dragon from Sleeping Beauty and the bright lights in the electrical parade.  Emory got to meet Jack Sparrow and join the ranks of pirates.  We explored Tom Sawyer Island and scared the kids at the Haunted Mansion.  Genevieve met Rapunzel and Cinderella who complemented her on her own braids and sparkly shoes. Animal Kingdom We were surprised by how much we enjoyed this park and what it had to offer.  We arrived early to get on the safari ride and were rewarded fo...

I can't stand the fake smiles and awkward poses school pictures produces, so we take our own.  To be honest, the kids weren't very enthusiastic for this photo shoot.  Emory very aptly described this enthusiasm in the picture below.  I followed the kids around the yard for an hour and somehow we got it done.   Genevieve is in third grade.  Emory is in kindergarten.  Benjamin is a pre-pre-schooler.  Time keeps flying by.

I hiked "Old Rag" the highest peak in Shenandoah National Park with three friends.  While I hiked I found myself wondering why, having lived in VA for so many years, I haven't hiked this mountain before.  It was fantastic.  The drive to the trail head was stunning and full of picturesque farms lining the base of the mountains.  Heidi, Shelly, Brooke and myself put on our support braces, taped up problem areas on our legs and took some pain relief before setting out on foot.  Hiking in our thirties and forties is very different from hiking in our twenties! The ascent was steep, rocky and full of roots.  We were so focused on the trail that we had to remind ourselves to glance around once in awhile.  The beauty surrounding us was spectacular.  There is about a mile section of the trail called the "rock scramble" which literally means tossing up your pack and scrambling on all fours up and down and around the boulders. ...