In the Country with Ivy and her jewelry

After spending a day with my friends, I drove to Ivy's house in the country to spend the night with Ivy and Mike.  Ivy showed me her new creations - earrings.  I took pictures of each pair to document them for future use.  I really want Ivy to set up an e-shop on etsy.com (hint, hint!!). 

my personal favorite!

i really like these

Marley Cat

  

Friends

I met up with some friends from college last weekend at Christina's house in Barnegate, NJ.  It was so nice to see them again and to catch up.  From L to R: Christina, Maureen, Dana, and Me!

One tomato.. Two tomato... Three tomato... SOUP!

Tom and I picked tomatoes over the weekend and made delicious soup with them.  We enjoyed our soup in the late afternoon with freshly buttered bread.  Yummmy!

Goodbye D50, Hello D60

I have upgraded my photography equipment from a Nikon D50 to a D60.  Deciding to sell my camera was difficult because it has been my primary camera and first DSLR for over two years.  Since buying the D50, it has been discontinued and subsequent models with better body designs and advanced features have been released.  I was very attached to my first DSLR, but knew I would want to upgrade sooner or later.  I am a loyal Nikon user, so I knew my next camera would be just that.  I just got the D60, and other than using it briefly in the store and investigating it online, I don't have insightful feedback to report from experimenting.  I will, hopefully, have feedback and pictures to post soon.  

An Ominous Sky

Some briefly lived thunderstorms rolled through our region on Tuesday. The picture below was taken by my coworker, Jon, on the 23rd floor in the building the company is in. Unfortunately, I was not in Philadelphia that day, but I have witnessed some really vicious storms over the last two years.

A Sunday Sail

My family and I enjoyed a great sail on Sunday in the late morning/early afternoon.  The sky was absolutely clear and there was a little breeze with warm sun rays shining down.  I don't think I've seen a beautiful day like today in a really long time.  Needless to say, the weather made our outing that much more enjoyable!  

A picture of my beautiful mother

Tom and Ben leaning back to help balance the boat

Cater decided he wanted to take a snooze on Tom's lap

Politically Fired Up

I have been intensely following the presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain. I should also begin by saying that I am a democrat and feel that the democratic party represent my concerns as a citizen, female, and individual. I know whole heartily that my vote is for Barack Obama come November 4th. With that said, I do realize there are disadvantages and concerns about Obama's lack of experience. Just like his campaign slogans state, I am hoping for a change if he is elected, and believe that he certainly has the potential to provide it.

The presidential race is historical on both sides of the fence... and I am so happy it is happening in my lifetime. I remember asking my mom in 1992 when Bill Clinton and Bush Sr. were running running for office if she thought there would ever be a female president. I was only 8 years old, but I remember listening to the presidential debates and wondering what it was all about. Now that I'm 24 and have a better grasp on national and global issues we face, and have sat through many justice, history, and pluralism classes in college, I am so happy that my voice will be heard by voting.

Our Labor Day Weekend

Tom and I on the steps of the Phila Museum of Art (I always have half smiles whenever Tom photographs us - he never gives me enough time to smile)

This weekend was really enjoyable.  On Saturday, Tom and I went to see the Nandalal Bose exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  We were lucky because we were able to get 4 tickets to this exhibit through the Firm I work for.  I always try to take advantage of those opportunities.  Tom and I used two and we gave the other two to Tom's friend who is a visiting professor from Malaysia.  We were glad she could use them and see more of Philadelphia during her stay.

Being at the PMA on a Saturday is very entertaining if you sit on the steps of the east entrance, the ones made famous by Sylvester Stalone in Rocky.  On any beautiful Saturday between the months of April - October, you are bound to see several bridal parties stop for photographs.  I absolutely love watching people in general, but watching wedding parties getting their pictures taken is so much better.  We saw 3 wedding parties, all of which were beautiful, but I like figuring out the bride and groom's personalities based on their selection of dresses and colors.  I once saw 13 bridal parties at the PMA, it was years and years ago, but sure made a great day for people-watching.    

The weather on Sunday was soooo beautiful!  Tom and I had to enjoy it, so we went to play tennis.  I'm happy to report that my backhand is improving.  Then it was off to do some odds and ends before going to celebrate Jamie and James' wedding.

View from PMA steps looking at Center City, Phila.

Jamie is a friend from college.  She and James met two years ago and were engaged to be married last year.  The ceremony and reception were beautiful.  It was obvious that this was a wedding of their dreams, as every detail was absolutely perfect.  There was a dual religious ceremony, with Christian and Jewish officiants.  Jamie's dress was a strapless princess silhouette with simple beadwork.  She looked absolutely stunning.  The bridesmaids wore dark ruby-red floor length dresses.  The pictures I have are blurry as no flash photography was allowed during the ceremony.  I really need to invest in a point and shoot camera because I don't like hauling my large dslr everywhere and worrying about it.  So, sadly, I don't have any pics of the reception or friends.

A very blurry picture of Jamie and James as they walked down the aisle