Last day

It's our last night with my family, and it's bittersweet. On the one hand, I'm happy to be going home tomorrow, back to our things and our space and our jobs. But on the other hand, I don't like being away from my family so much. It's really hard to not see them for months or even years at a time. I'm sure things will change once we're married and we move where we want to be, but for now it's hard.

We had family photos taken today, which was a riot and a half. When we got home, Mom and I played around with my camera, which yielded my photos for today. They're a little fuzzy, but that's just because I'm not a fan of flash and it's hard to keep steady for two or three seconds. I know it sounds easy, but it's definitely not.

We're flying out tomorrow afternoon, so for now I'm going to spend my last night in my bed and rest up for an emotional morning. :P

Til tomorrow...

J

Partay!

I got reconnect with a bunch of friends today, and it was wonderful! I had lunch with A, my brother's ex-girlfriend who we're all still close with. She's 8 months pregnant (not his baby), and she's totally adorable. It was fun to spend a little time with her and catch up on the craziness of life. :)

This evening, a few of my friends came over for pizza and games, which was a blast as usual. We played Scattergories, which is one of my favorites that I haven't gotten to play in a while. We laughed the whole way through it, as most of the answers we were coming up with were totally ridiculous. They trickled out towards the end of the night, but it was worth it to have a few hours with them. I know I probably won't see them for several months at least, if not a whole entire year, so it was nice to hang for a while.

By the time everyone left, I realized that yet again, I hadn't taken any photos. I haven't been taking many photos of people while on vacation, which makes me feel a little guilty. But at the same time, I haven't seen my family and friends in so long that all I want to do is spend time in their company, not worry about photographing it all. There's something magical about being behind the lens of a camera, but it can also be very isolating. I've chosen not to worry about it so much this week. :)

Here are a couple photos from the evening...enjoy!

J

Lots of inactivity

C and I had another lazy day today. My family had work and school today, so we were home alone without a car. C had lots of work to do, so I spent most of the day putting a jigsaw puzzle together. Vacation is absolutely wonderful. :) It's nice to hear silence instead of shrieking children, and it's nice not to feel so rushed all the time. Sometimes I just feel extraordinarily busy, and it's stressful. Taking a breather is definitely necessary sometimes.

Tomorrow we're having a bunch of my friends over for a pizza and games night. I've reconnected with everyone at least once since I've been here, but it's been for an hour or two and hasn't really been hang out time, so it'll be good to have several hours of chilling to catch up and enjoy each other's company. There should be lots of pretty good photos from tomorrow, but I've been saying that all week and haven't really generated much. :P

Til tomorrow...

J

Snow day!

Due to the nasty storm we've had over the last two days, the whole family had a snow day today. We all stayed home and watched movies for the majority of the day, but for an hour this afternoon, C, my brother, and I all went outside and started building an igloo. It's pretty hard work, and it's definitely taking a lot longer than we anticipated, but it's fun. :)

We watched Rain Man today, which was the 1988 Oscar winner. I've seen that movie many times, as it's one of my dad's favorites, but I never turn down the opportunity to watch it. It's fascinating to see a savant in action, and it's also really heartwarming to watch Charlie's transformation from L.A. douchebag to loyal younger brother over the course of the film. I definitely recommend it for those who haven't seen it yet!

Here are the photos of our winterscape...hope you enjoy them!

J

Belated

I'll have two posts today, since I didn't get a chance to post yesterday. We went out drinking with some friends last night, and then had to battle snowy roads to get home, so we got back pretty late and I was too exhausted to post. We had a pretty long day yesterday, as I spent most of the afternoon trying on wedding dresses. I found The One, by the way, and it's gorgeous. :)

I have my photos from yesterday, so here you go!
J

Visit from my bestie

M came to visit today! The party we were supposed to be having was pretty much cancelled due to the snow that fell ALL DAY, but M and her boyfriend still made it from Minneapolis, and my good friend P braved the harsh winter weather to join the fun.

It was so absolutely wonderful to see M. We've been really close for the last two years, and it's been hard not to see her every day. We were used to that when we lived in the same town, and it's been hard since I moved, but we're making it work. We sound like we're lovers, don't we? :P Anyway, we just hung out and talked, and played a game while C drew a portrait of all of us. It was a spectacular day in my opinion.

I'm finding that it's been hard to take photos when I'm around people I haven't seen in forever. I just want to soak up the time with them, and it's hard to put myself behind the lens when I'm with my family and friends. We'll be in town all day tomorrow, and will have lots and lots of down time, so hopefully I'll get some great photos. Dress shopping day is tomorrow too, so there should be lots of lovely stuff from that! :D

Meanwhile, enjoy these few photos from our night of debauchery. Until tomorrow...

J

Cuppycakes

Yet another day with minimal photo-taking. I'm starting to feel a little guilty, but then I remind myself that I'm on vacation, and that feeling disappears. It's hard to just bust out the camera when I'm in the middle of a card game or visiting with friends I haven't seen in a year.

C and I went over to a family friend's house tonight to meet their new puppy and catch up for a bit. We were gone for five hours or so, and when we got home, we found that Mom had been baking up a storm in our absence. The house smelled like fresh cupcakes, and was delightfully warm and cozy. There have been many things in the last few days that make me pause and say a silent prayer of thanks. I'm so grateful to be here and to spend time surrounded by things that are familiar favorites from my childhood. I've really missed a lot of people and things while in Arizona. Here's a photo of the deliciousness that was waiting for us. :)

I also got a pretty decent photo of my favorite Christmas ornaments. Yes, my parents still have their tree up. :P They left it up for me, so that I could get a little taste of homestyle Christmas before they packed it all away. I absolutely adore these icicle ornaments, and while the photo is a little fuzzy, I couldn't say no to the way the lights shine through the icicle and make it glisten with a multi-colored glow. It's magical. :)

We're having a little welcome home party tomorrow, so I should get lots of portraits and candids tomorrow. I'm excited to see one of my very best friends (she's driving all the way from Minneapolis to see me for the day!) and we have lots of local friends coming over as well. It should be a pretty spectacular day. :) Til then!

J