How I view... Blessings

It is time for my monthly circle group at ClickinMoms... and this month the topic was "How I view Blessings". 

Such an easy topic for me.  The most important blessings in my life have always been my family.  As we gathered for the Thanksgiving holiday... it was wonderful to spend time with the people I love.   Not everyone has their family close by ... or even with them still, so I know what a treasure this is.

As we approach the Christmas season... remember to take pictures of the people you love.  But don't worry if they aren't perfect.  It's only important that you capture the connections! 

Blessed by the people in my life... that is how I feel!

How I view ... Playtime

Every year... for 20 years we have been privileged to camp at the Simpson Campground at Mason Lake.  It has been a time of family, fun and relaxation.  Our favorite family memories come from our time spent at this campground. 

It is with the greatest of sadness that we learned that this August we spent our last week camping at Simpson  as the company has decided to sell the campground.  We enjoyed our time doing what we always have done... playing dominos and cribbage, eating S'mores, laughing and being together. 

With this post I will share pictures of time present and past since it only seems fitting.  Here is my version of PLAYTIME... for the ClickinMom's monthly challenge.

2012:

 

 

Thanks to Sam for catching these pictures on his iphone of Grandpa tubing with Hannah - what a treasure!

 

 

And this year of course fishing was one of the "top" playtime activities ... just like every year.  I believe Hannah caught the most fish this year with her homemade pole she uses every year.

And just to prove that Hannah has always fished at Mason Lake with only a stick and a piece of fishing line ... here is how she started out at just 2 years old.  Gosh this gives me a lump in the throat!

 

And from here to the end of this very very long blog post the pictures go from 2002 - 2011 (my digital progression).  Thank you for letting me share!

 

 

 

How I view SUMMERTIME...

For my monthly ClickinMom's challenge... I decided on a compilation of images from the summer.  Truly it is just some of my favorite summertime snapshots... from the life a of photographer.  It is an encouragement to pick up your camera and snap those everday moments!

This is how I find my daughter on any given day:

And a favorite image of her reading (as framed through the gate of our vacation condo)... with her favorite supporter who is never far from her side!

My favorite guys... on a 7 mile hike along the Deschutes Trail.

Enjoying all that the waterpark has to offer - true Summertime Fun!

And battling it out at Hoopfest|2012... the largest 3on3 basketball tournament in the world! 

How I view .... Fatherhood!

This month the theme for the ClickinMom challenge was "Fatherhood".   I always say that it doesn't matter if you take a planned photo or a snapshot... it will be treasured either way.  So to prove the point here is a quick snapshot from when our oldest daughter came to visit this month and we took some time to go to the Farmers Market.

How I View Motherhood...

For May the monthly challenge was "How I view Motherhood".  Once again I am part of a group of photographers who link blogs and share our views on a particular topic. 

I decided to take some pictures of two of my favorite people... MY Mom... and my daughter.  Nothing fancy or even particularly planned... just a typical day!

Thank you Nana & Hannah for being such great sports!

Click here to see how Carrie Anne Miranda views Motherhood!

How I view... Friendship

Our monthly challenge over on ClickinMoms is our view on Friendship.  I decided to use the images that I took this month of 2 of my Senior Reps.

I had a blast following Sydnie & Kyley through downtown Tacoma.  We hit all the fun spots and they even stumbled into a couple new ones that we will be using again!  These girls know how to laugh and have a great time... and it shows in their images!

 

 And just as a bonus image... because I've been trying to get this shot for months and months... here is a picture of Max & Allee... every morning when they see each other this what they do! I know it's not the best shot in the world.... but I love it still!

How I view ... Happiness

This month our challenge is "How I view Happiness".  It was easy to choose the images for this challenge.  Seeing the look on my daughters face when she met Christian Rock singer Josh Wilson at his concert ... pure happiness!  We were blessed to be in the front row during the concert which was absolutely amazing! 

After the concert Hannah was able to meet Josh Wilson and have him sign her T-shirt & CD.  It was a really fun night.  She also met his wife who is also in the band and she signed the inside of her CD. 

Have you heard Josh Wilson's music?  Here is a very touching behind the scenes to the story behind his popular song Before The Morning

Here is Carrie Anne Miranda's beautiful take on Happiness!

Catchlights Challenge - Week 13

The challenge for this week was "catchlights"...Catch lights (or catchlights) is a term used to describe the either the specular highlight in a subject's eye from a light source, or the light source itself. Why are they desirable in photos? Catch lights help draw attention to the subject's eyes and emphasizing the mood of the photo.

My photo of choice this week is of my very reliable Max.  When no one else will pose for me... Max is always game as long as a doggie treat is involved!

How I view .... Sweetness & Love | ClickinMom's 12 Month Challenge

This February's topic is "Sweetness & Love" but I really want to title this blog post... "How I view perfectly ... Imperfect"!  For truly these pictures are technically imperfect.   I could pick out 10 things immediately that would make them "nothing special" and not worthy of posting.  I chose them to encourage you to pick up your cameras and take pictures of the important times in your life and that would be the EVERYDAY moments.  These are the images that will make you smile in 10 years and you will not see the imperfections... you will just see the memories.   So pick up your cameras, and capture your children, your pets and your parents... even if you don't always have time to perfect the shot. 

So without further ado... and full of imperfections... here is "Sweetness and Love":

To find out how Carrie Anne Miranda views the topic "Sweetness & Love" check out her amazing blog here:  http://carrieannemiranda.com/archives/523