It's Harvest Time!

The end of Summer is wonderful. There are all kinds of fresh, local produce available. My favorite place to go is Pickering Hills Farm in Avon on Detroit Rd. They not only carry their own produce but also local goods from other families. You can buy 5 pound boxes of blueberries for $20. Plus, when you buy your groceries there they give you two free ears of corn. lol. I ate a whole peck of peaches all by myself over the course of 1 week.

Take the time this week to try out a local farm. If you don't know where to look try www.localharvest.org. They're an awesome resource and you can even buy products from farms online! I ordered my sister's birthday present from Blossoms Wild Herb & Lavender farm and would recommend them to anyone looking for high quality lavender products.

Corn Festival!

A couple of weeks ago Derrick and I went to the Corn Festival in North Ridgeville with Derrick's mom, step dad and Zoey. It was a lot of fun watching Zoey learn how to roll down grassy hills. I had this great strawberry shortcake with ice cream and hard shell chocolate sauce.

The coolest part of the festival was when I met one of the local photographers and his wife. I love his photography and I read her blog. You can view their website at www.rowephotography.com.

Derrick and I also did one of those inflatable jousting games where you put on helmets and try to knock each other off of moving pedestals. Derrick totally kicked my butt! The only time I knocked him down was when I cheated and pushed him with my hands. He thought it was hilarious.

The Creative Princess Bag

Here's some quick pictures of my latest creation. I was in the mood to sew the other night and really wanted to use up some scrap pink fabric so I sewed this cute bag for Zoey. I got the idea from a bag I saw in a sewing store in Lakewood that I thought was really cute. I've had the pink star fabric since college. The girls at work think I should make the bag in different colors and sell them at craft shows. What do you think?

Go Browns!

The other day Derrick and I were trying to decide where we wanted to watch the Browns game when all of a sudden Derrick's uncle called. He asked what we were up to and Derrick told him we were trying to figure out where to watch the game. Then Derrick's uncle said, "Do you want to go to the game?" Of course Derrick said yes, so we ended up watching the game at the game itself. We started out at the top of the stadium but about halfway through the game Derrick's uncle called us from his seats (9th row up from the field!) and said there was room for us! So, not only did we get to go to the game for free, but we also ended up with a free upgrade to "The Dawg Pound." The pictures are from our two sets of seats. After the game we walked around W. 6th st. which reminds me a lot of Pacific Beach in San Diego. We danced at The Barley House for a few hours and then drove home. Pretty exciting Saturday night considering we didn't have any plans when the day started.

Tortilla, Tortilla!

I made tortillas tonight for the first time since I moved to Ohio. I learned electric burners are not superb for making tortillas because they make burn circles and cook all uneven. They still taste good though! Here's a picture of my little stack of tortillas. I made a quesadilla with one and it was awesome!

Feed Me Seymour!

Back when I was a park ranger I learned about Brown-Headed Cowbirds and how they lay their eggs in the nests of other species of birds. These eggs hatch and then beat out the other chicks for food. There used to be cages in the park specifically made to catch the Cowbirds in order to keep them from lowering the population of other bird species. They're actually considered a parasite. I always thought it was sad to see these birds trapped in cages.

A few years later on the other side of the Country, there's a Brown-Headed Cowbird chick who is being raised by a little Chirping Sparrow right outside my apartment. It's the weirdest thing to watch because the Chirping Sparrow is half the size of the Cowbird but it rushes back and forth from the bird feeder the the chick in order to satisfy it's never ending appetite. The Chirping Sparrow can almost fit it's whole head inside the Cowbird's mouth. I've decided not to interfere more than I already have by providing the birdseed and just observe the live example of Darwinism.

My Grandma is Awesome!

A couple of weeks ago I went up to Port Huron in Michigan to visit my "Aunt" and "Uncle" (we couldn't figure out how exactly the relation works so we agreed on aunt and uncle). lol. I thought I was just going up to visit some distant relatives and celebrate my Uncle Paul's 90th birthday. What I didn't know is that my Grandma loves surprises and she flew in from California and arranged with my mom to keep it a secret from me. When Derrick, the dogs and I arrived at Aunt Nancy and Uncle Mike's house, we were given the tour of the house. When we reached the top of the stairs, my Grandma was sitting there with a huge smile on her face! I was so happy I cried. I'm very impressed with my Mom who kept it a secret from me for the past couple of months.

I had a total blast at my Aunt and Uncle's house! They took us out on their boat and I swam in Lake Huron for the first time ever. It was as the locals say, "Refreshing." I actually wasn't planning on touching the water at all because I remembered my cousin Tiffiny telling me about the time she visited Michigan when she was younger and Uncle Mike told her to jump in the water without warning her that the water is freezing. Seasickness got the best of me and I ended up spending a large amount of time in the water since it was the only way to keep from throwing up.


Port Huron is a really cute town so if you're ever in Michigan you should check it out!

Jenn & Geoff's Wedding Pictures!

Last night I finished editing the photographs I took at Jenn & Geoff's wedding this past Saturday. It was pouring rain in the morning but the weather cleared up just in time for the outdoor ceremony. By the time the ceremony was over, the clouds had completely gone away. It was a really beautiful wedding and I was extremely impressed with the decor which the bride made herself. One of the highlights of the wedding for me was when my man caught the garter (the groom is his cousin). Here's a few of my favorite pictures and an extra one at the end of my future in-laws.

Getting Ready for Jenn & Geoff's Wedding!

This Saturday I will be photographing Jenn & Geoff's wedding at Tom's Country Place in Avon, Ohio. I picked up the cards I designed for the guests, so they can access the photo gallery online, from the printer today and they turned out great! I'll be sure to post a few photos after the wedding is over. Pray for great weather!

I Saw a Mink!

Today I went to Lake Erie with Derrick and Stitch to practice some new camera techniques and watch the sunset. We were walking along the little pier in Avon Lake when all of a sudden Stitch started freaking out. We looked in the rocks and there was a mink looking back at us! I have never seen a mink before. They are really cute! I think the fishermen must feed them because he wasn't afraid of us at all. I didn't even have a chance to check my exposure, I just pointed my camera at him and took a picture. It must be my lucky day because it totally came out. I think minks are my new favorite animal. He doesn't even look real.