tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70322828863084418842023-11-16T06:33:23.779-05:00Our Family Unpluggedlife is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away...Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.comBlogger482125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-74043103560030252932013-02-10T20:24:00.001-05:002013-02-10T20:34:29.537-05:00Happy 3rd Birthday Beautiful!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been 3 years... 3 years since I had my beautiful, rambunctious, energized, crazy, baby girl. She has kept us on our toes every step of the way. So, when we asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday we fully expected something outrageous. Instead, she said, "I just want some friends and to sing Happy Birthday!" <br />
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AWESOME! This was going to be a walk in the park party. We invited some close friends and planned on pizza and a cake. That's what I was hoping anyway. BUT, of course my party planning madness set in the week before and "UNDER THE SEA WE WENT".... </div>
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Welcome Merpeople... <br />
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Flounder the cake ...<br />
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Pretty fun craft that was a hit ... JELLYFISH friends :)<br />
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And since Piper doesn't like cake... she got to eat (nibble) on a huge Sand dollar sugar cookie!<br />
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We headed to the basement afterwards to burn off some of that sugar. A fun time by all... including the adults!<br />
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It was a great party, with great friends, and Piper was full of smiles and laughter the entire time! Happy birthday Peanut. We love you!<br />
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- Mom & Dad<br />
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Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-20986557693407111772013-01-10T21:27:00.002-05:002013-01-10T21:27:24.502-05:002013: Here We ComeAs you could tell, my blog and photography hobby took a backset to running last year. I still captured everyday life with the girls and our family but just haven't stayed on top of publishing my photos to the blog. I'm going to try to balance everything this year and get at least one update on the blog each week. I'm going to TRY very hard!! <div>
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So, in an attempt to start this off on the right foot... I've posted a few photos from the start of our Disney World 2013 vacation. We decided to come because this was my final goal in my running journey from last year... to complete a marathon (26.2 miles)! We decided to make it a family affair and signed the girls up for their very own races. </div>
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Piper took off on her 100m dash. She was doing so well, which was a surprise to us because she isn't the most graceful little girl around. Just as she reached the finish line, literally maybe only 5 steps, she took a nose dive into the ground. Luckily, Mickey was there to brush her off and greet her with a huge kiss on the forehead!</div>
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Then it was London's turn.... she ran one back in the fall and did fantastic so I thought why not sign her up for the Mickey mile. 0.16 miles into the race she turns to me and says "I'm tired... where is my medal?!?!?" This was NOT starting off well. I gave her incentives along the way (sips of Vitamin water) and she finally crossed that finish line with a HUGE smile on her face. </div>
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All in all... Race Day #1 was a great day! </div>
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Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-19103167081589381482012-12-02T09:07:00.005-05:002012-12-02T09:08:53.823-05:00Flashback to June: Water Balloons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-71979389510656253812012-10-20T12:06:00.002-04:002012-10-20T12:06:24.775-04:00Flashback to May: Happy Anniversary!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tommie prepared a wonderful weekend get away for our anniversary back in May. There's a beautiful local B&B up the road that has so much character and charm. In addition to that, wonderful food too! Anyway, it was an incredibly busy weekend for me with work but we still managed to sneak away for a little while. These pictures are extra special since it seems like a huge blur to me given all the work I did that weekend. I'm incredibly grateful for my wonderful and caring husband. He still sweeps me off my feet and knows just when to do it! Thank you to my one and only :)<div>
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Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-9248758157990490942012-10-20T11:58:00.001-04:002012-10-20T11:58:47.339-04:00Flashback to May: Spring Flower & Jazz 5K<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My neighbor gave us a heads up on a local 5k and Kids Fun run back in May. We took the entire family (including Bill & Erin who didn't seem to make my set of photos) and the girls had a wonderful time running the "big circle". They were thrilled to get their very own medals!<br />
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After that, I set off on my first 5k which turned out to be the fastest 3.1 miles that I've ever run (25:04) at that point in my training. It was fun and I look forward to doing it again next year!<br />
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<br />Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-79840064750260502062012-09-20T20:46:00.001-04:002012-09-20T20:49:00.340-04:00Sunflowers Anyone?!?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We took the girls to a local sunflower garden this weekend to cut fresh flowers and to take some photos since I haven't had much time to keep up lately. We are headed into cooler weather now but I thought I would still take a chance and hope there were enough to make it worth while. Boy was I in for a surprise after pulling up to the owner's home. <br />
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He had bunnies, chickens, bee hives for honey making and not only a few rows of sunflowers but wild flowers too! It was gorgeous and went perfectly with the girls attire. On top of all that, the girls had a blast and we brought home a beautiful bouquet! Enjoy :)</div>
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And no... I could just pick a few! </div>
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Thanks!</div>
Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-89404127758066556462012-08-27T21:58:00.001-04:002012-08-27T21:58:45.672-04:00Class Clowns - 1st Day of School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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To say the girls were excited for their first day back to "school" would be an understatement. London started Pre-K and Piper transitioned to her "Two's" room today and they were all smiles all day long. Even though I am WAY behind on blogging photos for the past 3 months (thank you Disney for backing me up for months) I'm still shooting and will sprinkle past memories as I post new ones going forward. So, it may be mixed up from time to time but who cares... sharing is what counts!<div>
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Anyway, here are our class clowns of academic year 2012-2013!!!</div>
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And a few "normal" ones:</div>
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And a few from school:</div>
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Ready or not... here we come!!!</div>
Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-79657385940104271672012-07-15T19:27:00.000-04:002012-07-15T19:27:13.301-04:001st Time Camping<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We took the girls camping for the first time at the end of June (I know... I'm behind on just about everything these days including my photos and blog). Anyway, a handful of the mom's at the girl's school thought it would be great idea to take all of them and it turned out much better than I thought it would. I have to say though, I think it took me longer to pack and unpack than to actually camp. So, next time, we will be staying for at least TWO days. <div>
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It was a lot of fun and we are looking forward to doing it again soon!</div>
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<br /></div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-10243902456442721432012-06-20T22:49:00.002-04:002012-06-20T22:49:59.174-04:00Happy Father's DayI remember climbing what felt like 100 rungs of ladder, grabbing ahold of my father's hand, and feeling the prickles of rooftop shingles against my backside all to watch incredible demonstrations of aerobatic mastery in the sky... the Blue Angels!!! <div>
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So, when I found out that they were flying over our city Father's Day weekend I jumped at the chance to surprise Tommie and take the family there for an outing. We had chairs, umbrellas, food, games, cameras, you name it. We came prepared! It turned out to be a gorgeous day and I hope our girls will treasure the memories as much as I will. </div>
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On a photography note, I was amazed at the performance of my 70-200. I didn't think I would walk away with many keepers but was pleasantly surprised when I found most of them tack sharp. I couldn't even narrow down my selection for this post. </div>
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Enjoy!!!</div>
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The girls gearing up and playing before the show.... got to love their "ROAR" faces while strutting in their monster feet. </div>
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The pre-show boat demonstrations:</div>
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The pre-show flight demonstrations:</div>
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AND THE ONE AND ONLY BLUE ANGELS!!!!!</div>
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<br /></div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-73347682856842765722012-05-14T21:16:00.004-04:002012-05-14T21:16:58.276-04:00Rolling Hills of VirginiaI met up with some friends a couple weeks ago to have a good time, to laugh, to relax, to shoot, and to learn. I got all of that and then some. The endless hills, the beautiful homes, and the friendly animals were plentiful! It was just what I needed with a group of ladies that I'm thrilled to call my friends, not just my "e" friends, but true friends. <div>
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We had a couple models come out so we could practice posing, lighting techniques, etc. What beautiful young ladies. Made it seem much easier than it really is :)</div>
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And some of our animal friends:</div>
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And the beautiful scenery! </div>
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<br /></div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-2941864707935778032012-05-14T21:02:00.002-04:002012-05-14T21:02:57.200-04:00It's Coming. I Promise!I have sooooo many photos to go through from our Disney vacation. I'm working my way through 400 photos and I just can't wait to share ALL of them. Obviously, not all of them but I'm organizing them in a way that I'll post them quickly and create a book to cherish the memory forever. But in the meantime, I will continue to post "smaller" shoots in between because honestly I would be backed up for months if I didn't. So stay tuned....Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-61022511022358900642012-05-06T22:08:00.002-04:002012-05-06T22:08:29.336-04:0013.1 Miles Down... 26.2 to go!!Today I accomplished another major running goal of mine, conquering a half marathon! It was no small feat either. I felt strong and very confident going into today's race. I've been training since December and even ran one during my training with no problem. Again, today was a different story. <div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_0G1i2ufpCwJvhCyNJVCKeaOlivXzPVZ4m5lM8lj7cf1FnortVpTzdF7kFWUtkXLLkxEEUhim5_P589Rdt66Fa-Jm3lmCkdYJDa6eeu1GL-9eBGtSdgNXWljD-V-UPK6LxUmwvxFszj2/s1600/IMG_1222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_0G1i2ufpCwJvhCyNJVCKeaOlivXzPVZ4m5lM8lj7cf1FnortVpTzdF7kFWUtkXLLkxEEUhim5_P589Rdt66Fa-Jm3lmCkdYJDa6eeu1GL-9eBGtSdgNXWljD-V-UPK6LxUmwvxFszj2/s320/IMG_1222.jpg" width="320" /></a>I was NOT prepared for the number of hills I ran today. I had a goal to break 2 hours but this course had something else in mind for me... 2 hours and 4 minutes. Not what I wanted but certainly NOTHING to be disappointed about!! I'm pretty proud of my time, my body and more importantly my mind! There were several, and let me reiterate that again... SEVERAL times that I honestly didn't <b><u>think</u></b> I was going to make it. But there were even more times that I told myself that I <u style="font-weight: bold;">WILL</u> and I <u style="font-weight: bold;">DID</u> !!!</div>
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I'm not sure I will run that course again anytime soon. It was a tough one but I finished and can strike one more goal off of my list. </div>
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Next up... 26.2 miles in 2013. I'm coming to get you my friend!</div>
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All of these shots were taken by my number one fan and supporter... my husband :) He even registered London for her first race at the very last minute. To say she was excited would be an understatement!!! </div>
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Thanks to everyone who continues to support and encourage me to reach my goals. It wouldn't be possible without each and every one of you!! A special thanks to my best friend who started me down this road. I would still be creating excuses today NOT to run if it weren't for her. Love you Randi!!</div>
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<br /></div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-39741373911486052442012-04-09T20:21:00.000-04:002012-04-09T20:21:19.764-04:00Happy Easter!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-zS78xCsv7Ay-iphoB-IAq4vOfHUyt8ZoYTBaMnZuMhqqdbAo7H8WkYleYoSecvLuDmTn53JEbNlZDNqlYHopVXt7L83dF6wFDPo2RRJtWjAxP-ddTUQLS371SK214EgwmOo1FI9G5bJ/s1600/IMG_9179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-zS78xCsv7Ay-iphoB-IAq4vOfHUyt8ZoYTBaMnZuMhqqdbAo7H8WkYleYoSecvLuDmTn53JEbNlZDNqlYHopVXt7L83dF6wFDPo2RRJtWjAxP-ddTUQLS371SK214EgwmOo1FI9G5bJ/s320/IMG_9179.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We went to a local Easter Egg hunt this past Saturday. The girls really seemed to enjoy it even though they only came out with a total of 10 eggs. Piper got 2! my sweet little peanut had no idea what she was doing but she was having fun doing it. <br />
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Happy Easter everyone!<br />
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Then came along the Easter bunny. London was fine... Piper, not so much. She didn't care for that scary thing. Who would?!?! We really haven't come across a friendly looking Easter bunny yet! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-8Bnmcmh/0/O/i-8Bnmcmh-O.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-8Bnmcmh/0/O/i-8Bnmcmh-O.jpg" /></a></div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-65316925887989550212012-04-07T13:27:00.000-04:002012-04-07T13:27:01.572-04:0010 Miles Down... 13.1 Up Next!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WGt75O6imCqL3F8xGCH6lko-mVQGoxzOLIjSXU6P429Ni7_5qW0ffHr7Z9d_4RbElaufb_K16NUwubI87-4_zwvPcgFSWOBPXOf8BF7OMNEO90976yzjsPCu-vcLy-piG72XkgY-UxrX/s1600/IMG_9060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WGt75O6imCqL3F8xGCH6lko-mVQGoxzOLIjSXU6P429Ni7_5qW0ffHr7Z9d_4RbElaufb_K16NUwubI87-4_zwvPcgFSWOBPXOf8BF7OMNEO90976yzjsPCu-vcLy-piG72XkgY-UxrX/s320/IMG_9060.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I ran my first race last Sunday. 16 weeks ago my best friend called me up and asked to run in a race with her. After years of excuses, I caved and it was just a matter of time that I started to love running. I trained for 16 weeks and remember the first few runs, I thought I was going to die! 3 miles felt sooooo long and draining, then it turned into 4, 5, 6, and before I knew it I was running 10 and feeling great! <div><br />
</div><div>I absolutely love running now. So much so, that even bronchitis and an ear infection couldn't hold me back from running my first race. May have been a stupid decision in hindsight but at the time I did what I wanted to do, what I trained so hard for, and that was to run the race under 90 minutes. My official posted time for the race was 90 minutes and it felt great. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Tommie and the girls were right there by my side for my very first race. He even caught a few as I ran through the finish line. </div><div><br />
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</div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-46426304991881936952012-04-05T15:46:00.000-04:002012-04-05T15:46:32.534-04:00Happy Graduation Piper!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgK1r8oaVI_aQ-iPFvOBap2mTxkzrrOrCoHSgwRYNxLsB2YT06kJmRPjGXMrVHRvkZdgJZWTT1MXO_JXv2b8H7XPitJnVbnaF4d4l-hGIXeeQAqgZYIC2DCOcpunsbYteHgG1axvzOXdr1/s1600/IMG_8985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgK1r8oaVI_aQ-iPFvOBap2mTxkzrrOrCoHSgwRYNxLsB2YT06kJmRPjGXMrVHRvkZdgJZWTT1MXO_JXv2b8H7XPitJnVbnaF4d4l-hGIXeeQAqgZYIC2DCOcpunsbYteHgG1axvzOXdr1/s320/IMG_8985.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Piper has moved up in the world to the 2's room at school. They hosted an adorable graduation ceremony for the children in her toddler class and it was too cute for words. The little cap and gowns were perfect and all the kids were so excited. <div><br />
</div><div>We are so proud of her and love that she loves her school friends and teachers so much! If I was weepy during this I can only imagine what it will be like in 15 more years. Help me now!</div><div><br />
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</div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-9518567499628654392012-03-15T20:33:00.000-04:002012-03-15T20:33:07.642-04:00On Your Mark.... Get Set... GO!!! Happy 4th Birthday London!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6samcSQ_qYeQ1Wos_iuMmeKmnVFLUAZ2nzSIkLFP_E6GqKNSBHi6_wXWmNfXNrv25NyJ6mXZFstQCfAFOEWsaw7ViDtGtFFN-5zj6c98BERyIEZZIflYMcdNIToKUPyrG5uM2EdszOsA/s1600/IMG_8829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6samcSQ_qYeQ1Wos_iuMmeKmnVFLUAZ2nzSIkLFP_E6GqKNSBHi6_wXWmNfXNrv25NyJ6mXZFstQCfAFOEWsaw7ViDtGtFFN-5zj6c98BERyIEZZIflYMcdNIToKUPyrG5uM2EdszOsA/s320/IMG_8829.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The beginning of the year rush should be dying down now. Change of job, Piper's birthday, my birthday, Tommie's birthday, and finally now London's birthday!!! Phew... I'm exhausted. Meanwhile my first 10 mile race is right around the corner so maybe I'm not out of the woods yet but at least I see the light :)<br />
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Anyway, London wanted a Cars themed birthday party and VIOLA --- I bring you a Cars/Race Track themed birthday party:<br />
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First up, decorations and favors. I bought little flags to line the driveway and walkway up to the house. I had the kids take some on their way out. For favors, I bought these cute cone cups, made fun little special agent cards with their everyone's name, fingerprint, and tire prints, stickers, wrist bands, and cars themed fruit snacks. <br />
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Then, onto the games!!! I made a $13 race track for the kids to shake and race all of London's Cars. Oh my goodness, it was the cutest thing ever! Who knew what a few boards and paint could do. In addition, I lined everyone up to go downstairs for a scavenger hunt where I had probably 200 discs with various cars on them. Each kid had a card with 4 squares that they had to match with discs from the ground. Another fun activity. The kids were so excited to complete their cards. <br />
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And of course, there was the CAKE!!! By far, the most fun and creative cake I've done to date and all thanks to Amy Erickson for hooking me up with the idea and blog for details. It was track food hamburgers & fries which translate to cupcakes with brownies and sugar cookie strips. AWESOME!!! Left over cupcakes were topped with mustard icing :) <br />
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Then I served it with a side of "WASABI" ice cream, aka Green Apple Italian Ice. :) <br />
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Now, onto the food! Track food that is... hotdogs, chicken nuggets, chips, cheese, and fruit sticks. I was able to find some awesome Cars themed juice boxes that just went perfectly with the decor. <br />
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And finally, just some fun "cake face" bloopers of our guests ;) Starting off with my beautiful birthday girl who can't possibly be 4 already!?!?!<br />
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If I ever want to quit my day job this is what I want to be doing! I had so much fun doing this for London and she was SOOOO happy, which warms my heart! <3 <3<br />
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Happy 4th Birthday baby girl! Mommy, Daddy and Piper LOVE you VERY much!!!Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-53338970802476887432012-03-03T10:18:00.000-05:002012-03-03T10:18:10.813-05:00Miss Adelyn: 8 Months Old<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFWsgtzhr3kZJN5OV36gJDgpDXE2xbbE6N-j9g0qGqcm3hYy2RQmLEDqVaGalKPTbo25wIamwWpYoNkWNbFmbBEw7EOBGasYM2OgehjyVot7_lythyphenhyphenOO0zpnYiWlZ2utzuPbCiG8GQ9mM/s1600/IMG_8638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFWsgtzhr3kZJN5OV36gJDgpDXE2xbbE6N-j9g0qGqcm3hYy2RQmLEDqVaGalKPTbo25wIamwWpYoNkWNbFmbBEw7EOBGasYM2OgehjyVot7_lythyphenhyphenOO0zpnYiWlZ2utzuPbCiG8GQ9mM/s200/IMG_8638.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>My sister-in-law inquired about replicating a similar shoot that we did for her oldest daughter when she was 8 months old and since she had the same outfit and headband we went for it. Unfortunately, I can't find my photos of Dilana to show you the comparison but I got a couple of Adelyn and she is just too cute for words! <div><br />
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</div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-82684220815268171962012-02-20T21:05:00.000-05:002012-02-20T21:05:32.122-05:00It's Park Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ql6wAj_y9oTw1cd0rmbuy89Rg5vFvKG2fTl7uduGA91a4NuwwSbkUMpTnjwLaqkwFd0d1XHUk3DgLmlKWPBiZPM4R1wSyBQ1jSPgqmYTFA1Uq0IL4LpsnNJVjMvMeL5G7u0bquzKKFHT/s1600/i-8T9XD99-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ql6wAj_y9oTw1cd0rmbuy89Rg5vFvKG2fTl7uduGA91a4NuwwSbkUMpTnjwLaqkwFd0d1XHUk3DgLmlKWPBiZPM4R1wSyBQ1jSPgqmYTFA1Uq0IL4LpsnNJVjMvMeL5G7u0bquzKKFHT/s200/i-8T9XD99-L.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>We took the girls to the park a couple days ago to enjoy the beautiful weather we had that day. I took the new 70-200mm lens out for a spin and man is that lens a BEAST! It will take some time for me to get used to its size but I'm really pleased with the image quality from it so far. <br />
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So, here are a couple of the girls. They had so much fun... like always. :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-FnK2NP6/0/L/i-FnK2NP6-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-FnK2NP6/0/L/i-FnK2NP6-L.jpg" /></a></div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-12780077256531612182012-02-15T22:34:00.002-05:002012-02-15T22:36:43.300-05:00Our Snow Angels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9i-7nWpdEbptmJ2OiiA-QpQ5rPzXxpTTYaD7FY6WTSEx83DyStmMqBo3ayrGsiOI-YeBHofJvexLOjTlcOnAuUNVl70uoFJd-oZiiLcT7Nwq4UcQUDk7U-YrWqJOVLuluqVI06cUJgOk1/s1600/IMG_0344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9i-7nWpdEbptmJ2OiiA-QpQ5rPzXxpTTYaD7FY6WTSEx83DyStmMqBo3ayrGsiOI-YeBHofJvexLOjTlcOnAuUNVl70uoFJd-oZiiLcT7Nwq4UcQUDk7U-YrWqJOVLuluqVI06cUJgOk1/s320/IMG_0344.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We finally got enough snow worth playing in! The girls had so much fun. They shoveled the grass, the steps, and the sidewalk. They ran in circles, up the hill, and down the hill. They laughed. They cried (creating their own homemade ice pack for a cheek injury). They rolled around with not a single worry in the world. They loved it!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-RWJWBfr/0/O/i-RWJWBfr-O.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-RWJWBfr/0/O/i-RWJWBfr-O.jpg" /></a></div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-53945332835365082852012-02-03T20:11:00.001-05:002012-02-03T20:12:31.419-05:00Balloons Galore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq12ryHbBy3DnSkllk0NmvR48IX7Z3Btc61ZZRuSZlHsTKdxjv_QkBGlvkZqgS9NIKRMjMSqbhzImmOmfwADUtTIWiGFHas5egYyIbIlner2z0F45BrIIVkAKD4l7ibh-IyWvg9vCS7O7F/s1600/IMG_0235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq12ryHbBy3DnSkllk0NmvR48IX7Z3Btc61ZZRuSZlHsTKdxjv_QkBGlvkZqgS9NIKRMjMSqbhzImmOmfwADUtTIWiGFHas5egYyIbIlner2z0F45BrIIVkAKD4l7ibh-IyWvg9vCS7O7F/s320/IMG_0235.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Even though we tried to send each kiddo out the door with some balloons we still managed to have a ton left over. So, I bundled them up and the girls thought it was fantastic. So much so that I got smiles out of both of them. <br />
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</div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-12557640976290705222012-01-31T22:11:00.003-05:002012-01-31T22:48:14.676-05:00Sunny Days...Sweepin' the Clouds Away! Happy Birthday Piper!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rlQjb-3xTQUHwJO_49Rph5qAgnhxM28OhaLIpwzt3tlfjZvB4rN0Qg7fczq2ni5A_Q-vZrtzhHNpNIv7qKtW35rP-4tE7qQQtb4ANEl7BMzkUfBCtXXWZZEQhEx1cmvn6SR6vT-PFy_d/s1600/IMG_0107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rlQjb-3xTQUHwJO_49Rph5qAgnhxM28OhaLIpwzt3tlfjZvB4rN0Qg7fczq2ni5A_Q-vZrtzhHNpNIv7qKtW35rP-4tE7qQQtb4ANEl7BMzkUfBCtXXWZZEQhEx1cmvn6SR6vT-PFy_d/s320/IMG_0107.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Oh it feels sooooo good to blog again! It's been far too long and I needed this. What better to blog about than Piper's 2nd birthday party. Yes, you heard me correctly... her <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">2nd </span><span class="Apple-style-span">birthday party!</span><br />
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Between starting a new job, training for a 10 mile race, being a mom, wife, nurse, teacher, cook, and everything else under the sun, I NEEDED to do this for FUN! Well, the fun stopped a week before her party when I literally stayed up every night creating and preparing everything you are about to see. <br />
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I often sit back and ask myself "what was I thinking"... let me tell you. The feeling that I get when I see my children filled with pure joy and happiness, surrounded by their family and friends who are equally happy, is worth EVERY. SINGLE. SECOND, MINUTE, HOUR, DAY that I spent on her 3 hour party!<br />
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So, here we go. First off was the entry. The sesame street sign that London's teacher lent us and Big Bird's footprints:<br />
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Then, the decorations and food! I'm so proud of myself. I know that sounds conceded but I really am. I worked so hard on everything. I created the signs, made and decorated all the food, cake, and cake pops, and pulled it all together with Tommie's help.<br />
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Then all the kiddos headed down stairs to play the games that I created, "Count with the Count" where the kids would count the objects on each card, flip it, and reveal the number, "Oscar's Trash Toss" where the kids would toss trash in Oscar's pail, and "Ernie's Rubber Ducky Pond" where they would turn over the ducks to find the one with the star (all of them had a star so everyone was a winner)! It was sooo much fun and I have about 100 more photos of the actual fun they had but still need to make my way through those photos.<br />
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Then, the gift bags (which I forgot to grab a photo of) were stuffed with their prizes from the game, tied with an Elmo balloon and they grabbed a cookie with a "P" for Piper thank you card attached. <br />
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I can't thank our family and friends enough for celebrating with us and/or sending your kind words through phone conversations, email, facebook, etc. It was a truly special day for our baby girl that is growing TOOOOOO fast!<br />
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Finally, a cute little peek-a-boo series of Piper's excitement:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm incredibly thankful to a good friend of mine, GINA :), who came to the rescue and captured all the fun the kids had downstairs, and when Piper blew out her candle. I was so busy having fun with everyone that I didn't even think about my camera (GASP... I know!) I was so thankful to see her come up the stairs, grab my camera, and shoot several photos of this event. I didn't even ask and she just instinctually knew that I would want those memories. I am very grateful GINA!!! Thank you so so so much :) And all of those photos will be another post :) Let's just say I have A LOT to go through!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, thank you again!!!! It was a great day!</div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-17560232560400558312011-12-31T17:15:00.002-05:002012-01-08T06:35:41.027-05:00A Year Has Passed And Another 10,000+ Photos Stored<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaYgczHgQ5UiZ71W9-mmBgoxVCfK7Y1jNppu9dXO-WMMPAVGTiJ-C5ZsG7TCzAhrqtIT9l4L26iZU0SYMYJOlnEbs82wiZMgvl3-yx2WoIDIHEZmpbSfbP-mID-bRkqTO6ADGGgjDyjTa/s1600/IMG_2896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaYgczHgQ5UiZ71W9-mmBgoxVCfK7Y1jNppu9dXO-WMMPAVGTiJ-C5ZsG7TCzAhrqtIT9l4L26iZU0SYMYJOlnEbs82wiZMgvl3-yx2WoIDIHEZmpbSfbP-mID-bRkqTO6ADGGgjDyjTa/s320/IMG_2896.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>I'm closing out another year of our blog. I started this adventure 2 years ago. Last year I managed to post almost everyday for the entire year. This year, not so much. I was lucky to get one up every week! But that's ok. I had two very different goals each year and was able to see both of them to fruition.<br />
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</div><div>Last year, I focused on shooting. Shooting EVERY. DAY. for the sake of picking up my camera and saying I took a shot. I learned a tremendous amount about my camera in 2010. It became an extension of my body and shooting in manual mode became natural to me as I entered 2011. </div><div><br />
</div><div>This year, I focused on shooting with PURPOSE! Not just picking up the camera because I said I would in order to post a photo everyday. Instead, I carefully thought about what I was shooting. I developed a style and a workflow that works really well for me. I cleaned up previous years worth of photos and backed them up online, on disc, and on an external hard drive. I made my photography process as efficient as possible and am really enjoying the art of photography. I'm looking forward to next year and plan on continuing our blog through 2012. </div><div><br />
</div><div>In closing, I'd like to thank all of you that supported me and my skill building by leaving comments, catching me in the hallways at work, or simply mentioning that you enjoyed reading/viewing posts on the blog. It kept me motivated and encouraged and I really appreciate it!</div><div><br />
</div><div>With that, here are a few of my favorites from 2011:</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>January</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/1159030300_Pc6eA-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/1159030300_Pc6eA-L.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div><b>February</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/1200851733_QLiYt-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/1200851733_QLiYt-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</b></div><div><b><span id="goog_1692344685"></span><span id="goog_1692344686"></span></b></div><div><b>March</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/1221673914_byTso-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/1221673914_byTso-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
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<b>April (France/Italy Trip):</b><br />
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</b><br />
<b>May:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-ZmVrFCj/0/L/i-ZmVrFCj-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-ZmVrFCj/0/L/i-ZmVrFCj-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>June:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-R2QGFS9/0/L/i-R2QGFS9-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-R2QGFS9/0/L/i-R2QGFS9-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-w78CwJC/0/L/i-w78CwJC-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-w78CwJC/0/L/i-w78CwJC-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>July:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-fSqmxxX/0/L/i-fSqmxxX-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-fSqmxxX/0/L/i-fSqmxxX-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>August:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-Q3nJCqf/0/L/i-Q3nJCqf-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-Q3nJCqf/0/L/i-Q3nJCqf-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>September:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-VP4QhLV/0/L/i-VP4QhLV-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-VP4QhLV/0/L/i-VP4QhLV-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-5FJMgCh/0/L/i-5FJMgCh-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-5FJMgCh/0/L/i-5FJMgCh-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Outer Banks Trip:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-G7kFGm8/0/L/i-G7kFGm8-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-G7kFGm8/0/L/i-G7kFGm8-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-d8kh32t/0/L/i-d8kh32t-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-d8kh32t/0/L/i-d8kh32t-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-mRZFwD2/0/L/i-mRZFwD2-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-mRZFwD2/0/L/i-mRZFwD2-L.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-44vtBxc/0/L/i-44vtBxc-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-44vtBxc/0/L/i-44vtBxc-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>October:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-6fVGWP2/0/M/i-6fVGWP2-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-6fVGWP2/0/M/i-6fVGWP2-M.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-fjRZFwq/0/M/i-fjRZFwq-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-fjRZFwq/0/M/i-fjRZFwq-M.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-Tzf7KQG/0/L/i-Tzf7KQG-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-Tzf7KQG/0/L/i-Tzf7KQG-L.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-DKqL3tB/0/M/i-DKqL3tB-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-DKqL3tB/0/M/i-DKqL3tB-M.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-r6LVJ2R/0/L/i-r6LVJ2R-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-r6LVJ2R/0/L/i-r6LVJ2R-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>November:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-zs8KD4L/0/L/i-zs8KD4L-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-zs8KD4L/0/L/i-zs8KD4L-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-nz5xXnK/1/L/i-nz5xXnK-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-nz5xXnK/1/L/i-nz5xXnK-L.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>December:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-r6cfKCq/0/L/i-r6cfKCq-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-r6cfKCq/0/L/i-r6cfKCq-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-Zb3SwCF/0/L/i-Zb3SwCF-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-Zb3SwCF/0/L/i-Zb3SwCF-L.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>And kisses to top it off!</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-zXbQGDL/0/L/i-zXbQGDL-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-zXbQGDL/0/L/i-zXbQGDL-L.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>I WISH EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! </b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>THANK YOU - </b><br />
<b>Leslie</b><br />
<b><br />
</b></div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-44706618968463948002011-12-24T22:53:00.001-05:002011-12-24T22:54:40.239-05:00Mr. Zebra (Days 14-24 with a Special Note)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfm8gGmT9Ftnzz5Ag1ca2su6HFR-bgGsemmlr226A8-EOBU0R8A_jWX0CEnumnwx7h6sXEDppJ04O3ZnIoHPp-sfFfjYwjavysOnKQbqG8Y3wsBUm6SxutE93umyDM638G5edPC8Rud8v/s1600/ChristmasEvePiper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfm8gGmT9Ftnzz5Ag1ca2su6HFR-bgGsemmlr226A8-EOBU0R8A_jWX0CEnumnwx7h6sXEDppJ04O3ZnIoHPp-sfFfjYwjavysOnKQbqG8Y3wsBUm6SxutE93umyDM638G5edPC8Rud8v/s320/ChristmasEvePiper.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It's been a great time Mr. Zebra! We thoroughly enjoyed your company this month and look forward to you visiting us again next year. Thank you for looking out for the girls, listening to their endless requests, and for "reporting" back to Santa each night. It's been fun but we know you must leave with Santa to start working on all the toys for next Christmas.<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
The Davis Family<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-WBRgZSG/0/O/i-WBRgZSG-O.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-WBRgZSG/0/O/i-WBRgZSG-O.jpg" /></a></div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-88963718901674066852011-12-24T20:19:00.000-05:002011-12-24T20:19:06.565-05:00Merry Christmas Eve!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpKDfwl5wwBnEiBAUpee7SkuleOB7rjs-OiS-tO6bBV05GJVxttX37g1KJxnU9mEjoIi4XZ6Sk4Qyf-gUkwYfYx-IaN32_QR1dkVFZByC3fVenrlnAmOiy5z_I9Ih9GZkXZnEtYZGeMq0/s1600/IMG_9783_BW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpKDfwl5wwBnEiBAUpee7SkuleOB7rjs-OiS-tO6bBV05GJVxttX37g1KJxnU9mEjoIi4XZ6Sk4Qyf-gUkwYfYx-IaN32_QR1dkVFZByC3fVenrlnAmOiy5z_I9Ih9GZkXZnEtYZGeMq0/s200/IMG_9783_BW.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>I want to bottle them up and keep them like this forever! They just make my heart skip a beat from time to time and I simply cannot imagine life without them. My heart grows bigger and fills up faster as the days pass and I hope they realize just how much they mean to me. I love you girls!!!! <div><br />
</div><div>Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-8XmRcpn/0/O/i-8XmRcpn-O.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-8XmRcpn/0/O/i-8XmRcpn-O.jpg" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032282886308441884.post-78415961282898933542011-12-19T23:53:00.000-05:002011-12-19T23:53:58.477-05:00ALL ABOARD... the North Pole Express!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Sz8b7fI4cY4S2uABOs6r06a0SqVJj1BhRLlo0UB8Qa77TP9INairCkBsJ0-kz19lLb-E02E3thLuLgaA5mlf1NantFSEuyTRSdF64wiqEuulWnP5FzzB06tyaQwVnoqmojYogsB6xGIy/s1600/IMG_9521+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Sz8b7fI4cY4S2uABOs6r06a0SqVJj1BhRLlo0UB8Qa77TP9INairCkBsJ0-kz19lLb-E02E3thLuLgaA5mlf1NantFSEuyTRSdF64wiqEuulWnP5FzzB06tyaQwVnoqmojYogsB6xGIy/s320/IMG_9521+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">We took the girls to visit Santa at the North Pole this weekend. There's a train about 2 hours away that resembles the one in the movie Polar Express that rides out to the North Pole to visit Santa ever so often. We booked it and prepared the girls.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">To say they were excited would be a HUGE understatement. In fact, Piper was so excited I could barely restrain her in the train for the 1 hour trip to the North Pole. It was really tough getting good photos so I did what I could and enjoyed my girls instead.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I loved the part when the train approached the station and the train from the outside in general. I didn't like the fact that it had a filthy interior (I might be slightly OCD about dirt and germs with the girls). So after much anxiety we finally reached the station to a jolly old fat Santa. Tommie surprised the girls by giving Mrs. Santa a Cookie Monster and an Abby Cadabby to give them when they were done with the photo, something they have been asking for for the past 2 weeks. They could barely contain their excitement.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I tell you... this is what life is about! I can't explain the pure happiness and love that I felt when I saw how excited they were. It was awesome! They were completely tuckered out by the end (notice the huge bags under their eyes) but were troopers for making it as long as they did.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-kk37MNw/0/O/i-kk37MNw-O.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://unplugged.smugmug.com/photos/i-kk37MNw/0/O/i-kk37MNw-O.jpg" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div>Unpluggedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06083393106022213463noreply@blogger.com1