Two of my close relatives are in Pompeii and Naples, Italy today. My husband and I were there almost exactly two years ago. Despite the crowds, it was pretty amazing to see the most well-preserved ancient ruins in the world. Below is a glimpse of what we saw. Click here to see my entire blog post of Italy.
The petunias in my back yard are booming right now … or blooming like crazy … however you want to say it. They’re gorgeous. I wish the ones out front were doing as well. Either they need more sun or they like to be close together. Anyone know the trick?
As you all know, a devastating tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma on Monday. And two years ago yesterday, a horrific tornado tore through Joplin, Missouri. I have lots of friends and family in Oklahoma, brother-in-law lives in Joplin and I went to college about 30 minutes from there, so hearing about tornado destruction always strikes home. Even though I’ve lived in tornado alley my entire life and spent many occasions in basements during tornado warnings, I’ve never personally seen one. But I have seen the aftermath. I cannot pretend to understand what the people of Oklahoma are going through right now. There are tons of great organizations out there if you choose to make a donation, but two of the most reputable in my opinion are the Red Cross and UMCOR. UMCOR spends 100 percent of designated donations on the projects donors specify.
100 years ago today, the American Cancer Society began the fight of a lifetime – the fight against cancer. With the help of volunteers, they’ve made a lot of progress in that time. In 1913, 1 out of 10 people survived cancer. Today, 2 out of 3 people survive. There is still more work to do, but together, we can finish the fight. Let’s make this cancer’s last century. Join the American Cancer Society at cancer.org/fight.
On Friday night a few of my friends participated in the Rave Run in Kansas City. The Rave Run is a 5k un-timed race through the dark, with lots of bright, flashing, neon lights; people wearing glow glasses, bracelets, and other crazy apparel; and rave music along the route. Since we weren’t racing the clock, it was fun to run alongside my husband and friends. Despite the fact that we held a conversation the entire time, we still finished in under 29 minutes, according to our watch. Obviously I couldn’t carry my Canon 60d while I ran, so my little point-and-shoot had to suffice.
My husband and I met a new friend on our walk a few nights ago – a very friendly, affectionate cat.
Monkey bars were most definitely not my favorite piece of playground equipment growing up. In fact, I couldn’t even hold myself up to make my way across them. A couple of days ago, my husband and I took a moment on our walk to play on the monkey bars at a nearby park since there were no kids in sight. Much to my satisfaction, I can now monkey across them. (Is that the right verbiage?)
One of the benefits of our new house is the beautiful walking trail and creek right behind our house. Who knew Missouri could be this pretty?
For the last few weeks as I’ve been doing yoga more regularly, I’ve noticed the narrow focus your eyes have when you’re in child’s pose and look down toward your feet. Because you’re looking at something so close, very little is in focus. Depth of field in photography works much the same way, so I attempted to capture it with my camera. How did I do? Does what I’m saying even make sense? Am I weird for comparing yoga to photography?
Have you ever tried to photograph a family with six kids? It’s not exactly easy to get everyone looking good at the same time. I thought this one turned out pretty nice though.
Photographic Rhodes 