Prom and Mother's Day

Another week-end in May we went to visit Lisa and Dave. What a fun week-end to be there! Newell was going to the prom, and I think that Lisa was more excited than she was. It was fun to watch Lisa help Newell do her hair, nails, and all else that went into it. That gave me a little more time to spend with Corbyn, Paige, and Dakota at the park.



Talking about prom, hair, and nails.





A quiet moment





Is he scared of getting poked?




Going with friends



Corbyn and Oreo, BOTH pose for the camera

                      The next day was Mother's Day, yeah! I took a picture of us with my timer on the camera:

 

Not only was it Mother's day, but also Seminary Graduation for Newell.

What a lovely day it was! But all good things must come to an end, and we headed back home.



May 2011

The Spokane Valley Camera Club held it's annual Salon on May 7th where they give awards for the prints and digital images that were submitted for judging from this year's monthly competitions. I received 5 awards!

"New Birth" received 2nd Place in the People category 

Human Interest Award Plaque

"Blooming Lily Bee" - 3rd Place in Flowers

"December at The Fox" - 3rd Place, General Category

"Cory and Rueger" (Color Print) - Honorable Mention, General Category

In May Gayle and I went to the National Bison Range in Montana for a SVCC field trip. We saw some wildlife, but not a great deal. These are a few of my unedited pictures:

 Very windy up here on one of two trails you can hike.

 Baby's got an itch

Yellow headed black bird - I never see these in our area.

Captured this image on the drive home whizzing by a lake in the car. I love the reflection. 

April 2011

April found me at 7 concerts or events at Martin Woldson Theater plus in the midst of Spokane Symphony season renewals so it was very busy at work. During the month I also became a CTA (Certified Tourim Ambassador) for Spokane, and enjoyed a visit from Lisa, Newell, Corbyn, Paige, and Dakota. We spent one very rainy afternoon in Riverfront Park.

More about March Memories

When we went on vacation in March, we had a WONDERFUL time. Weddings are such grand affairs when family and friends come together to celebrate the marriage of a couple who have decided to spend the rest of their lives together. And this was no exception. It was wonderful to see my sisters Sherie and Kay, and of course my sister Mary, mother of the bride. It was a nice surprise when Mom and Dad left the comfort of their home to be there, in spite of their health challanges. It was so nice to spend time with our kids who live in the area: Eric and Penny, Tess and Coleman, Heather and Keith and Kayla, and Trevor and Karen, Benji, and Brinlee. And how grateful I was to be able to spend a few hours with Hailey and Tyler! I love my family very much and hold dear those memories in my mind. Last but not least, I took the opportunity to go to the Family History Library and research an ancestor, Charles Franklin Babbel. I was hopeful that I would be able to find some additional information and am grateful for Gayle's help and also a German woman who worked there. Unfortunately I was unsuccessful finding any information, but I gained a powerful testimony of how important this research is.
More Pictures

March Memories




Wedding Day at the Draper Temple. The Dunlap Family

  It was a wonderful experience to attend Celesta and Sage's Wedding, luncheon, and reception on March 12th. And what a bonus to have some of our immediate family there as well!.




Trevor, Karen, Nancy, Gayle, Eric, Heather

Sisters - Nancy, Kay, Mary, Sherie

  
I had the opportunity to spend the day with Dad and Mom on Dad's 85th birthday and took portraits of each of them.




 

 More Pictures...

Preparing for Vacation is NO vacation!

I  am resting easier now that I am sitting in a Best Western in Dillon, Montana. But trying to get ready to leave was very stressful! There are so many details to take care of before I leave that it seems impossible to get it all done! For example: The work responsibilities - recent concerts have been settled with the promoters, a new event, Robert Kennedy on May 19 has been built, customers calling in were helped with ticket purchases, food prepared for a birthday celebration,  made a special birthday card for Marissa and Liz, attended a farewell for departing staff member, events message phone lines had to be recorded, just to name a few, and this was just in the last three days! Then there were the personal goals! Attended Relief Society Tuesday night, and spent hours considering and editing images to submit to SVCC for digital judging. Ah, finally, saw the truth: Sometimes I don't see clearly because I am too emotionally attached to an image, remembering the good time we had, and not clearly seeing it for what it REALLY is. BAD. Well, not bad, but not my best work. So! A change of plan, and I have submitted my best work-4 images. I am confident they will do well. And if the judge doesn't agree with me, phooey on the judge. Ok, I also had to make sure that my Church calling was taken care of, thanks to Robyn, the Choir is in good hands. Got tickets for Makaela to Saturday's concert, and delivered parking pass to Charlotte, who is going to watch guest artist Natalie MacMaster's baby on Saturday.

"Heather"

So, I got everything done I HAD to do, can rely on Donna to cover me at work, and I can truly enjoy my vacation. So, my new three favorite words this next week are going to be: I'M ON VACATION! And now that I am on vacation, I am going to forget how hard it was to leave.:)

"The Pavilion in Riverfront Park"

Gas Prices Hiking Up Again

     Gas went up again today, hitting $3.50 a gallon here in Spokane, WA. And diesel is up to almost $4.00. Analysts predict that $3.50 is tops. Oh, really? I doubt it.
     I had a delightful walk in Riverfront Park these last two days. Yesterday I spotted the beaver again (did I mention this before?) and determined to get pictures, I brought my camera along today. No beaver.
     Within a week's time, I will have worked at 5 concerts and will attend 31/2. Last week-end was the Spokane Symphony's Classical concert on Sat. and Sun. (I had to cover for Donna who was ill), Monday was Gonzaga Symphony Orch performing Brahm's Piano Concerto no. 1 with Awadagin Pratt, tomorrow is Michael Ballam singing Broadway Classics, and Saturday night is Celtic Fire with Michael Londra (formerly with Riverdance), the Haran Irish Dancers, and An Dochas, an Irish band.
     Today was the kick-off for the Spokane Symphony's 2011-2012 Season Subscription campaign. Another good season, with some surprises planned along the way. The Nutcracker has changed venues from the INB to Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox and we have a new ballet company.
     I am ready for SPRING! Our temperature reached a balmy 42 degrees today and it felt so good after the single digit lows last week.
     I had a long conversation with Cory tonight over spaghetti at dinnertime. He recently watched a documentary about JFK's assinasion which raised unanswered questions. It made for some good discussion.
     I took the three following pictures  in British Columbia, Canada at Buchart Gardens and reminds me of warm glorious long sunny summer days. I long for more sunshine and warmth. And lower gas prices.