Day 152: Souvenirs, Parte Due

If you aren’t familiar with it, Venice, Italy is known for their Venetian/Murano glass. We went to a glass factory with figurines, glassware, and sculptures for hundreds to thousands of Euros. Needless to say, we didn’t buy anything there. We did find another authentic Murano glass shop with these beautiful earrings that I just couldn’t resist. Jerod actually convinced me to buy them and helped me pick out the color.

Canon 60d, 1/30 sec., f/5.6, ISO 800, 18-200 mm lens (100 mm focal length)

Day 150: Home, Sweet Home

After temporarily losing my wedding ring, Jerod’s passport, our luggage, and our insanity – we’re back from our trip to Italy! Besides those emotional incidents, we had a wonderful time. Italy is such a beautiful country! I will post photos in a few days. In the meantime, I have to brag about how great my family is. Our flight home from Chicago was cancelled, so instead of getting in at 7:30 p.m., we arrived at midnight. My parents, sister, and nephew were all patiently waiting for us at the terminal. Best of all – they had done a thorough search at our apartment and found my wedding ring! (My cat had taken off with it and apparently dropped it under a bed the day we left.) They also went grocery shopping and bought us some essentials – including FRUIT! Fruit was in short supply in Italy, and I was craving it by the time I returned home.

Canon 60d, 1/40 sec., f/1.8, ISO 800, 50 mm lens, ambient light

 

Day 135: Leavin’ On a Jet Plane

Jerod and I are getting everything in order for our trip! (I know, I know – it looks like chaos right now.) I think Esme wants to join us, and surprisingly there’s probably enough room for her to fit in my suitcase. I think this is the lightest I’ve ever traveled, and the longest I’ve ever been gone. Actually I’m going to use the extra room for souvenirs. I even brought along bubble wrap. 🙂

Canon 60d, 1/50 sec., f/3.5, ISO 800, 18 mm focal length

P.S. I won’t be posting photos on the trip, but I’ll have plenty when I return!

Day 134: Sniffing (and Sniffling)

My Relay For Life teammate Mandy hosted a Scentsy party yesterday to raise money for the American Cancer Society. We had a lot of fun smelling all the scents, but the most touching part was hearing how cancer has affected so many of us. We’ve raised about $300 so far (with a goal of $500) selling Scentsy products! If you buy them here, 20% goes toward Relay.

Canon 60d, 1/60 sec., f/3.5, ISO 400, 18 mm focal length

Day 133: Healthy Choices

On Friday my office celebrated Choose You Day, an American Cancer Society movement that encourages people to put their own health first in the fight against cancer. We took a walk over our lunch hour and encouraged people to take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Canon 60d, 1/500 sec., f/4.0, ISO 200, 32 mm focal length

Day 131: Plant It Pink

Yesterday we celebrated the kick-off to Plant It Pink in my office – an American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network initiative for people to join ACS CAN and order pink tulip bulbs. ACS CAN is the Society’s sister advocacy organization, and if you join you get the opportunity to email (or call, or visit) your government officials to advocate for more cancer research funding, smoke-free laws, etc. Not surprisingly, the media was about 30 minutes late to the event, so they got some lovely shots of our display table.

Canon 60d, 1/60 sec., f/5.0, ISO 800, 40 mm focal length

Day 129: A different angle

One of my fellow colleagues had her last day at work a few days ago – these flowers that remain on her desk just don’t quite fill the void.

Canon 60d, 1/125 sec., f/3.5, ISO 125, 20 mm focal length, natural light