Picture Perfect Weekend

I had the BEST time with my new camera this weekend. Although I really don't know what I am doing yet, I learned a lot taking "mock" engagement pictures of our friends Kelsey and Kellen, who are not planning on tying the knot yet, but these may have motivated them a little! :)I tried playing around with a lot of different settings, f-stops, ISO and focal points, so I found out a lot of little tricks, and I made a few mistakes which are good for me to learn from. I am so happy about how these few came out. There are TONS more, but I haven't had a chance to play around with them yet. I feel good that my first time using the XSI worked out so well! Go me!

We took these shots at Butchart Gardens in BC Canada. It was beautiful up there. We caught the Anacortes ferry at 8 in the morning and then spent the whole day enjoying the sights.There are plenty more pictures of the gardens, so I will get those posted soon. It seriously looked like a fairy tale there. The landscaping is breathtaking. Even the guys had a good time, which is saying a lot!

After the gardens, we headed into Sidney and played around at the butterfly gardens. It was so much fun, and again, lots of pictures to come of bugs.Oh yes, and a gross kissy picture of Matt and I because I loved how the picture of "The K's" turned out under the yellow dog wood.

7 Inches

G O N E !

I have not had a hair cut for probably two years (not including trims) so I am still getting used to it.

PS-I am LOVING the new camera!

Giddiness!

Last night, I experienced pure giddiness! Matt surprised me with the Canon Rebel XSI that I have been eyeing since before it was even available. Matthew is my favorite!!



I had just gotten out of the bath when he asked me to get his cell phone from his coat pocket for him. Inside the pocket was not a cellular device, but a Kits Camera card and a lens filter. When I went into the office to ask "What is this for?" he had a wrapped gift sitting out on the table for me. I knew what it was immediately!! Isn't he so great?!
We had tons of fun last night checking out all the cool little gadgets and accessories for this camera, but I haven't had a chance to take any pictures with it yet since the battery wasn't charged. I am trying to figure out what I want my first REAL shot to be of, but I haven't decided.



I am hoping that I get good enough at photography that I can use my design and Photoshop skills to create a little side job. Don't you think that I look like a professional?Minus the pajamas, pony tail and make-up less face, I think I look like I know what I'm doing!

Photography is something I have wanted to do since my dad bought me this little gem of a machine for my 14th birthday. Of course, the Canon AE-1 used film and there was a whole other side of this in the dark room that I had to figure out. I am happy that I now have a digital, but there is so much to learn!!
I am so thankful for Matt for being so supportive of me and my little fantasies. I made a promise to him last night that I would work hard on learning about my new camera, and I am sure that I will love every minute of it! I just took this picture with my sad little powershot looking on in disdain as it realizes it has been replaced...poor thing. Doesn't it look so sad? Don't worry little one, you are still very useful, and we have had many adventures together! I couldn't get rid of you. :)
If anyone has any tips or ideas for me, I would love to hear them (Jessica!). Ill post some cool pictures soon!!

Last Minute Wakeboarding

A few months ago we met a couple that lives on the other side of the lake from us. They have been calling us on every sunny day to meet up for wakeboarding, but we have always had other plans. Until last night. Although it wasn't the nicest of days, it was still a lot of fun. They had to use dry suits to keep from freezing, but surprisingly the water wasn't unbearable. The wind was a little chilly, but it was fun to get out on the water for the first time this season. Matt was really excited to use his new board, and he did really good for having a sore shoulder (jiu-jitsu injury) and not having wakeboarded for a while.I on the other hand, am a MAJOR cold water wuss. My biggest pet peeve is to be cold, so I stayed dry and content on the boat with my new friend, Woody. We had a good time watching the boys and enjoying the view of Mount Pilchuck. Woody was even very helpful drying off the guys as they got back into the boat :)
We are very happy to have friends so close by, not to mention, friends with a boat who are as willing to go wakeboarding on a whim as we are!

Quiddler Filled Weekend

The weekend started off and ended with us playing our new favorite game, Quiddler. After playing until 1 o'clock in the morning with Kelsey, Kellen and Brett on Friday, we knew that we were addicted. Matt and I were introduced to this game over a year ago by our friends the Clarks, but we had forgotten about it until last weekend when my mom had brought her deck on the plane. Now, we have our own :)

Saturday morning Courtney and I met up with Shannon and Chelsea at Fisher's Plaza in Seattle where we ate a fair share of Crepe's. Mmm. Tasty.

Then Matt and I went out to dinner with the Loftus's and then headed over to their place for, you guessed it, more Quiddler.

The point of the game is to make words out of the hand that you are dealt. You start off with 3 cards, and then work your way up to ten, trying to get the highest score in the end. The picture below is the hand I got, and the record for lowest score ever! If you cant make a word out of the cards, the numbers on the letters get taken away from your total.We always end up playing until the wee hours of the morning, and things get a little weird....

We also played the game on Sunday after dinner with Matt's parents who seemed to enjoy the game as much as we did.

If your're interested in playing, come on over to our place! The chances of us already playing when you arrive are pretty high!

Emotions? What?

This post is rated PG-13 for some violence and language.
Its true. Hell has frozen over. This may be Armageddon. The end of the world.


Because....I am acting like a girl.

I can be crying and upset one minute, happy and giggly the next, and then ten minutes later, be so mad at someone I could punch-kick their face in.

I am never like this. I can honestly say that I am a pretty mellow person, and I RARELY cry or have any emotion other than blah. Matt can agree with that one. I wish that I could blame this on fertility hormones but alas, I am just normal ole, low progesterone me.

Its been a hard few weeks, I am not making it into my REM cycles at night. I'll even admit, Aunt Flo paid me a visit. I am just not normally so affected by her presence.

Go away Flo! I don't want to see you for another 9 months or so!

Anyway, I really hope that these feelings (I shiver at the word) hide themselves between the crevasses of my brain where they have been abiding for so many years, because I just don't know how to handle them. I want to go back to feeling more at ease, more empty, more carefree more like, a man.

My mom's side

I am lucky that both sides of my family live in Arizona. We didn't get to see much of them this trip since we were there for my Dads mother's funeral, but it was fun the little time that we had together.This is over at my Step-Grandmothers and my Sort-of-Cousin Angie's house. My family is pretty confusing, so I am not going to get into details. All this kids are Angie's (dark hair, pink shirt.) They are the cutest and best behaved children, and its a good thing that they are because there are 8 of them! They just moved back to Arizona from Utah, and I was very excited to see them.

My other sort-of-cousin Deanna, was also able to make the drive down to Gilbert from Phoenix to see all of us. Deanna and I lived together for a while, and I have missed her ever since she moved to AZ with her husband. It was fun to see her, and its too bad it was for such a short time.I also got to see my Grandma Hipke, and my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Dennis. I actually used Kathy to get through my Grandmothers funeral song because she was smiling at me from the audience, and it helped me to stay focused on the music, rather than the tears. Again, it was too bad that we didn't get to spend a lot of time with them, but maybe we'll make another trip out there soon; when its cooled down a bit :)

Family Pictures

Grandma's Obituary
Lena Gylling Bailey, 76, passed on as the heavens cheered her arrival on Monday, June 9, 2008. She was born March 27, 1932 in La Jara, Colorado to O. Walter and Arzella Knight Gylling. Lena and her soulmate, L. Arnold Bailey, recently celebrated 56 years of marriage. They were united as one on February 14, 1950 in the Mesa, Arizona LDS Temple and have 4 children: Diane Nutz, Randy Bailey, Monica Greenleaf and Arny Bailey. There are also 17 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Lena's brothers and sisters include Dorothy Sowards, Donna Sowards (deceased), Lola Dana, Ivan Gylling, J Gylling and also R. Helmer Gylling, C. Wilford Gylling, Clara Nissen, Viola Clarke, Clarence A. Gylling, Gladys Burns, Luella Owsley, Garda Starks, Norma Smith. A Mesa High School graduate in 1950, Lena will be remembered as one of the best cheerleaders; she was also a majorette, year book editor, pianist, and the Women's Club awarded her Most Valuable Female Senior. Fulfilling many church callings in the LDS Women's Relief Society and Young Women's as well as ward organist, Lena will be remembered as a faithful and loving sister. A few of Lena's hobbies, beside husband and family, included sewing, macramé, calligraphy, and fly fishing. Baking her way into many hearts, we will miss her carrot cake, homemade ice cream and bread. Lena and Arnold have shared many exciting travels together, a lot of which was done on their cabin cruiser as they fished their way across the Pacific Ocean to Catalina Island. Other hot spots include Hawaii, Puerto Vallarta and a family Caribbean cruise. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at the Mountain View Stake Center, 1550 North Val Vista Drive in Mesa. A viewing will be held at the Stake Center from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, June 13, 2008 where friends and family may call. Interment will follow at Mesa City Cemetery. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.serenicare.com. The Bailey Family is sincerely grateful for the TLC of "Mom" Lena, from Family Care and Serenity Hospice. She is loved and will be missed by many until we meet again. Published in the East Valley Tribune on 6/13/2008.

A few family members asked me to send them pictures from this weekend, so I am posting the good ones that I have for everyone to share. If you click on them, they should open up larger so that you can save them that way. Let me know if there is any issue opening/viewing these. Some of them turned out really great, others not so much. I cant wait to get a new camera.

This weekend in Arizona, although sad, was wonderful. Friday night there was a family viewing for Grandma, and this was the first time in years that we were all together. It was a very sad reunion, but so sweet at the same time. I love my family.

After the viewing, we were all able to catch up while eating Peter Pipers Pizza and playing games. It was a lot of fun, and a good breakOn Saturday Brittany, Nikki and I got together to practice the song that Grandma had asked us to sing for her funeral. It was so emotionally hard to get through it during the service, but we did way better than I could have imagined. I didn't start to cry until Brittany put her arm around me during the last chorus, but we made it through just fine. Grandma would have loved it.My dad was asked to give the eulogy, and it was a very heartfelt, humorous and touching one. He told fun stories of Grandma Bailey and expressed the family's feelings of love towards her and the example that she set.

Many others were involved, everyone did such a great job in celebrating "Lena's" life.

When we arrived at the Cemetery, it was nearing 115 degrees. I couldn't believe how hot it was, but a tent was set up for the family. We sat together as Grandpa and his children, Diane, Randy, Monica and Arny placed flowers on the casket after the pallbearers had placed it over the grave.An amazing thing was that Grandma and Grandpa's plot is diagonal from Amy, their granddaughter, and my cousin who was killed in a car accident in 2002. I cant believe how close they are. Its really neat. This meant a lot to the family.After the interment, the family headed back to the church where the Relief Society had prepared lunch. A lot of stories were exchanged in between the yummy ham and the awesome desserts. There were family members from all over, and it was pretty neat to see everyone together. Then Saturday night we all got back together and Aunt Diane and Uncle Dan's house for dinner.