Yosemite!

I was having Yosemite withdrawals and was trying to find a few friends to come along with me for a day trip to the park. I had no takers! So Kev suggested changing the day that I was planning on going and said we could go as a family...yay!!

So Saturday, we packed up our lunches and started the 2 1/2 hour drive to Yosemite Valley. On our last trip to the park, we spent time in the Mariposa Groves and Glacier Point. This time, I wanted to hike out to Mirror Lake and just spend some time walking around in the valley.

Bridalveil Falls is usually the first stop we make in the park when we spend time in the valley. Not a lot of water coming down this time of the year, so Matthew and I climbed up some of the rocks to get a different perspective for our pictures.

We had never stopped and walked through the church before. The original church building had been there since the 1870's. Services are still held here, might need to make a Sunday day trip for one visit.

 The first of many deer we saw.

 

 Half Dome from Sentinal Bridge with some fall color.

 

As I was looking around, I kept thinking that something was missing...and it was! There was no water coming down Yosemite Falls! Can you see where the water usually comes down?

On our walk out to Mirro lake, there were many, many leaves on the ground. I thought it would be fun to shoot a picture at a high shutter speed, have my kids throw leaves in the air, and try to catch the leaves in the air in the photo. Might need to see what I can do to brighten this one up a bit...

 My favorite of the day

 

I brought along my tri-pod with the hope that I could get a good family picture while we were there. Guess I need to inform my family that this is an expectation I have. Not everyone was prepared and I wasn't really happy with any of the pictures of the four of us. Guess we will have to go back... :o)

Mirror Lake...with no water. Last time the kids and I walked out here, there was plenty of water and I was able to get some amazing pictures with the mountain reflections in the water. I love that we can see the changes in the different seasons.

 So many beautiful fall colors!

 

 This was a group of 7 deer wandering around near one of the campgrounds.

My family had never seen the Ahwahnee Hotel. We will probably never stay there (so expensive), but it is nice to walk around this beautiful hotel.

 The dining room is amazing!

 

 But at these prices, like I said, we will probably never stay there or even eat there!

 

One last stop before heading out of the valley.

 

Until next time Yosemite! Our National Park Pass is good until May of next year, so I am sure at least I will be making another trip...soon... :o)

Peru!

 

 

The Compassion Bloggers are getting ready to head out to Peru next week!

 

Shaun Groves has all sorts of things prepared to make it easy for all of us to follow along on this trip.

 

Will you join in praying for this team?

Civil War edits

For this week's photography assignment, our instructor wanted us to use whatever photo editing program we have to make some edits to some photos. Currently, I have Photoshop Elements 6 which is an older version of this program. I am waiting for Lightroom 4 to arrive which should be an easier program for me to navigate through.

While we were at a Civil War reenactment over the weekend, I took quite a few pictures, but here are a couple of my favorites that I decided to play with for my assignment:

 Both of these photos are straight out of the camera. So after spending a little bit of time adjusting some settings in my elements program, here is the after:

 

So what set do you like best? Originals or edited?

Compassion's Christmas Gift Catalog

Compassion's Christmas Gift Catalog is now available online!

 

You can view all of the gifts online, but you can order a catalog here.

 

Have some questions about the gift catatog? You will find answers here.

 

I love that there are so many choices to help make a difference! You can $4 to help protect one child from parasites...

 

...you can also share in the gift by helping to provide a roof for a highly vulnerable child and family.

 

We have already had a family discussion about scaling back our Christmas gifts this year so that we can make a purchase from the catalog to help spread some Christmas joy!

 

What gift are you drawn to?

 

 

 

The Joy Dare - restart

Back in January, I started a new journal. I was determined to make an effort to follow The Joy Dare. How hard could it be? Every day, write down three things that you are thankful for. Well, as life would have it, my journal has been neglected for most of the year.

Rather than feel defeated, I can do a restart! When I look through my journal, I can see that I actually have made some progress. Not consistently, but there are 291 entries. That is 291 things that I have taken the time to write down that I am thankful for this year!

Has your Joy journal been neglected lately? Let's purpose together to continue these lists that can help us change our attitudes, help us to see that He is with us in the little things that we encounter as moms each and every day.

286. candlelight
287. raindrops
288. orange mums
289. homemade toasted cheese sandwich with sweet pickles and dijon mustard
290. blue sky peeking through a cloud-filled sky
291. afternoon Bible study