I’ve been sick off and on this week so I’m not going to write as much as usual. Curtis and I had a date over the weekend and we spent the night in San Antonio. I drank a little too much (actually just the wrong thing, apparently any type of liquor makes me ill) and spent most of Sunday in bed. Then I woke up Monday with a sore throat and started running a fever last night. Curtis spent the week in Minneapolis and gets home in a few hours, mom helped a ton with the kids, and the kids have been awesome.
Day 197 ~ Pretty Makeup
Jenny and Chris came down for the day on Friday and the first thing I said was, “Gosh, your makeup is exquisite! I must take your picture!!!” Jenny is always happy to oblige me.
Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/2.5 | 1/200 | ISO 100
Day 197 ~ All Together
It’s not often that I can get all three of my beautiful children together and all in a good mood at the same time. Score! I love them all so much.
Nikon D750 | 85mm | f/3.5 | 1/200 | ISO 400
Day 197 ~ Full Table
We decided to cook instead of eat out, so we had a full table for dinner. I love it when Chris and Jenny visit, it makes the house feel whole.
Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/3.2 | 1/200 | ISO 800
Day 198 ~ Pedicure
Curtis and I snuck away Saturday afternoon for an overnight to San Antonio. We actually spent the entire afternoon and early evening shopping! Curtis loves to dress me up in things I wouldn’t normally try on and I actually purchased a few new things. I found the BEST boutique bra shop ever… Aphrodite’s Closet. Ladies, if you are larger than a D-cup, you owe it yourself to visit Tina. I thought I couldn’t learn anything new about boobies, but I was wrong! And I have pretty bras for the first time in my life. I am going to Yelp review her 5-stars as soon as I feel better.
I’ve been wanting a pedicure since the end of June and Curtis said he would come with me for that too. So side by side we sat, teasing the adorable sisters that worked on our feet. Paris and Nora were from Iran, Paris is planning to enter the SA police academy this fall. I was most impressed with them and they were sweet. If you ever find yourself at North Star Mall, head to the Avalon salon and ask for Paris or Nora. You won’t be disappointed.
Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2.2 | 1/200 | ISO 1600
Day 198 ~ Their Faces Aglow
Curtis and I headed to the River Walk for dinner. We had an 8:00 p.m. reservation at Paesano’s, where we ate for our anniversary a few months ago. I’ve been dreaming about that basil pesto tortellini! The traffic was terrible and it took us over 40 minutes to go from the Alamo to a parking garage near the restaurant. Luckily, our waiter, Scott, was an angel and brought us a glass of wine and some bread quickly. Curtis got on his phone to check us into the restaurant (he loves posting that kind of stuff to social media) and I looked around and saw the couple across from us both on their phones, their faces aglow. They spent most of their time together like that. Kinda sad. (And yes, that is Curtis holding his phone in the upper right corner!)
Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/1.8 | 1/160 | ISO 3200
Day 199 ~ Tiny Daisy Bouquet
Curtis came home with flowers for me the weekend before last and they are still going strong. I love these teeny, tiny daisies!!! Since I wasn’t feeling well on Sunday, this was a perfect subject for me to photograph.
Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/5.6 | 1/320 | ISO 400
Day 200 ~ Nintendogs
Anna has been unusually stable lately, no major mood swings or meltdowns. Whew. She’s still obsessed with Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy, but she is also spending time doing other things like playing Nintendogs on her DS.
Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2.2 | 1/160 | ISO 1250
Day 201 ~ Pretty Purple Petunias
Dominic has been earning money this summer to pay us back for accidentally taking his phone into the pool which required a total phone replacement. One thing he did on Sunday while I was sick was plant a new photo garden for me and my mom in the raised flower bed. He did everything himself. These pretty purple petunias are some of his handiwork.
Nikon D750 | 105mm | f/5.6 | 1/250 | ISO 800
Day 201 ~ Role Reversal
Dominic has his friend, Bristol, over to play after spending the night before there. Bristol is the funniest kid, wise beyond his years, and we all love spending time with him. He told me that he fit in our dog crate and I was like, “No way!” So he proved me wrong. Lola was like, “Dude, do you know what you are doing?”
Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2.5 | 1/250 | ISO 1600
Day 201 ~ Crate Training
I almost didn’t post this photo but Bristol said it was okay and we all laughed so much, I couldn’t resist. (Now let’s hope some nimrod doesn’t steal it and make it into something yucky.)
Crate Training: when you discipline your neighbor’s kid.
Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2 | 1/250 | ISO 2000
Day 202 ~ Boring Bookcase “Before”
Part of Curtis’s office makeover included removing two old bookcases that I inherited from one of my first grown up jobs over 20 years ago. These bookcases have been beaten up and dragged around but are really sturdy. Mom took one for her office and I had a brilliant idea for the other one.
iPhone 6+ | 4.2mm | f/2.2 | 1/4 | ISO 64
Day 202 ~ Looks Built-In “After”
There was this big space at the end of our kitchen cabinets that was empty and served no purpose. We’ve tried a number of things there, but nothing felt right. I thought, “Aha!” and measured the space, realizing the old bookcase from Curtis’s old office would be perfect there. I had some leftover paint from when we had our kitchen cabinets painted, so I took it to Sherwin Williams and had them color match it. I sanded, primed, and painted two coats of oil-based glossy enamel… and voila! I’ve got my own bookcase to show off my Stephen King collection (one is autographed!) that I started when I was 12 years old. I love this space. There’s a photo of my Nanny (my father’s mother) with my two sisters, Lisa and Pam, and my two cousins, Lauren and Tyson, on the top shelf. A photo of Pappy, my mother’s father, is on the 4th shelf. There are special trinkets sprinkled about as well. I love it!
Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2 | 1/200 | ISO 1250
If I don’t feel better tomorrow, I’ll go in and get my throat looked at. Spare prayers would be welcome for my sister who is undergoing a procedure under anesthesia today to break up a large kidney stone in her only kidney. Thanks for the prayers and thanks for looking! Have a good week!!!