foto friday 22 {Christmas in Cambridge}

Do you have those places that just make you smile?  They might not be specifically meaningful for any particular reason.  But whenever you encounter them you just find yourself smiling somewhat awkwardly to yourself until you realize people are looking at you strangely. A quaint little street in Cambridge, Maryland has that effect on me.  Cambridge is a small, coastal town on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay where we lived for 5 years before our move to Curacao.  (more on why I was back in the area here) High Street is my smiley spot, it is a cobblestone street that in it’s hay day housed top level executives of the Phillips Packing Company and not only do I find the stately, historic houses amazingly gorgeous, but during the holiday season it’s always fun to see how the current owners do up their festive decor … or don’t do up any decor at all.  :) Lucky for me, I found myself smiling to everyone I saw on that street on a sunny December day and here is what I saw. Double chimneys galore and apple wreaths and arrangements above the door.  (If you expect this whole post to rhyme, I will just warn you now that you will be sorely disappointed.)  :)

foto friday 21 {costa rica}

Over a month after vacation is the right amount of time to post the pictures, right?!? Yeah, sorry about that.  :/ And thank you to everyone who has repeatedly requested the pics.  It’s nice to know you want to see our random take-aways from our little worldly excursions to sometimes obscure places. And this time around I was armed with a few new tools.  You know about the new camera we bought in August, but I didn’t tell you that I had also been studying up a bit.  A little refresher course on some photography basics and then a little more advanced photo mumbo jumbo in the form of e-books. Specifically, these e-books from Kristen Duke Photography. Both of these books print out in a convenient 4×6 inch page size … perfect for stashing them away in your camera bag for continual reference.  And trust me, you will want to do just that!  I have found the info I learned in these two little books invaluable as I continue to learn and experiment with my photography skilz.  :) Say NO to Auto is the perfect book for anyone ready to take that first step and get your camera out of Auto mode.  Kristen gives easy to follow instructions on how to find the appropriate buttons on your specific camera, great insight into aperture adjustments (which I loved since I’m all about adjusting my aperture these days) and breaks down the 3 basic steps to understanding manual mode. If you feel like you have that all under control, Get Focused is the e-book for you.  This is the perfect follow-up for those of us who are working in manual mode, and now need an understanding of how to make our photography more creative and unique. Kristen shares 12 of her personal tricks for … continue reading

foto friday 20 {curacao north sea jazz festival}

Last weekend we had a last minute opportunity to go to the 3rd Annual Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival and Had. A. Blast! It was our first time going and I was so pleasantly surprised at just how creative the event set up was. Previous year’s headliners include Sting, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder.  This year the headliners for Friday night were Marc Anthony, Santana and an all-star salsa band that I actually watched rehearse a few days before the show. That was cool. We went to the event on Saturday night and were greeted by this great, lively little band from New Orleans.  I didn’t get their name.  :(

foto friday 19 {preparing for a party}

Happy, happy Friday y’all!  I don’t know about you, but it has been a great week around here.  Mico got her stitches out yesterday and is progressing everyday.  We won’t find out until the end of the month if her blood work has gotten back to normal.  But for now, we are content … and feeling quite a bit lighter than a week ago. So I am doing what any normal person would do under these circumstances … I’m planning a par-tay!! A pool party to be exact!  With a few of my favorite gal pals.  A day where we can just hang out and DIY chill by the pool.  You don’t think I’m getting a group of friends together without putting them to work, do you?!?! So yesterday, my friend Liz and I did a little party prepping and found ourselves in a store here in Curacao called Techniek & Design.  We were actually on the look out for seat cushions for her poolside stools … but you wouldn’t know it from these pictures.  ;)  Here’s a little store tour if you will.

foto friday 18 {curacao beaches}

HAPPY FRIDAY, Y’ALL!  Said in an exuberant tone with a sigh of relief .  :) If you’ve been reading along you know we’ve had a stressful week in real life.  And, because I am a moron crazy, I have also decided to tackle a living room overhaul throughout the next 8 weeks.  I am definitely still looking for you to share your living room inspiration here if you have any.  Please! Soooo, I thought it only fitting that we relax at the virtual beach this foto friday.  These are all pictures from our 2 1/2 years here, as I have not seen a beach up close and in person, other than the dog beach, in quite awhile.  But, I’ve got my umbrella drink ready and we’re settling into the beach chair now.  :) I went back to the very beginning to find this one.  We got married shortly before we moved here and I had bought these flip flops from The Nest that said JUST MARRIED on the bottom when I walked in the sand.  Awwww.  ;)

foto friday 17 {haven 2012}

Happy Friday, y’all! Being away for 4 days last week and coming home to workers painting the exterior of our house this week … and trying to snuggle as often as possible with a sick 10-year-old puppy …  … oh, and trying to tackle some of the items on my 67 item long to-do list, has made for me not getting out of the house much this week.

foto friday 16 {home}

Today it’s Friday, and I’m at Haven.  Having what I’m sure is a fantastically good time meeting fellow bloggers and talking about our blogs and learning all kinds of inspiring things.  And I’m hopefully not saying too many stupid things or making embarrassing hand gestures while talking too loudly or laughing at inappropriate times.  But I probably am.  Sigh. But, I know for sure I am missing this gal. And this view, er, girl. And seeing these characters do this every night. And this cracked me up so I had to take a picture of it.  Right before I left for this little trip I did some grocery shopping to stock Joel up on some necessities (read: ice cream, supplies for homemade garlic cheesy bread and frozen chicken pot pies) in my absence.  And when I came out of the store the guy beside me had done quite a parking job.  hahaha   Now that I look at the pics I did a mighty fine job myself.  Clearly the parking space lines and asphalt are mere suggestions. Hope you’ve had an awesome week.  I’m stoked to get home and make this blog better than ever … or at least continue on the course.  :)  I do thank you all for sharing in the fun … I would have no need to be at a blogging conference right now if it wasn’t for my desire to create a blog that keeps you wanting to come back for more.  So, Thank you!  Now go enjoy the weekend.  :)

foto friday 15 {southern florida}

Well, hello there!  We had such an awesome time on vacation last week! Don’t you just love vacation? No matter what, there is just something about being able to do exactly what you want to do all of the time that is just the best! If you’re a Facebook fan, you know our first dining experience of choice was Sam’s Club pizza.  Do you guys love it, too?  We LURVE it!  We also got our cravings satisfied for PF Chang’s, American pancakes and loaded nachos.  Yes, this girl came home with a little more jiggle to my wiggle.  :) Before we headed to Key West for the weekend we spent a few days chillin’ around Miami and enjoyed these views from our hotel.  The first one got us laughing at ourselves as we kept saying – ‘oh, it’s so nice to have a view of water and palm trees’. The irony!  :)