Northern Minnesota

We took a 4 1/2 hour drive up to North Branch MN. Wow the scenery is so completely different from around here. You go from corn fields to maples and from flat lands to rolling hills. It is so beautiful up north! Chad & I have both agreed on many occasions that we want to retire somewhere in Northern Minnesota. (although I'd also like to travel to the warmer climates when the dead of winter happens here) Back to my photos... So the it rained all day Saturday and I captured this maple leaf with the green cast of the forest and the raindrops. One of my favorite and very simple photos. The rest of the photos are taken with my camera phone so the quality of them is not as good but you still can see the beauty of God's land. We went to a park in Taylor Falls where all the rocks have been carved out by the whirling power of the St. Croix River many many years ago. We have made plans to come back to this park in the fall. Can you even imagine what the fall foliage will be like..Oh my goodness it's like waiting for Christmas for me. It's amazing how the beauty of the land can excite me so much. I am truly at peace when I am in nature. Back to that maple leaf. When I was standing there taking the photo all I could hear was the silence of the forest and the gentle sounds of the rain falling. Oh what an amazingly calm sound. I hope that I have captured what I feel about nature in these photos. If not I will keep trying. 

Lightening

Had you seen me outside on this night you would've thought I was a crazy person. I stood in the rain with my camera on a tripod and a garbage bag wrapped around the camera to protect it from the rain. In order to capture a photo of lightening you have to switch the camera to bulb. Then you push the trigger and hold it until the lightening flashes. Sometimes you can hold the trigger for up to a full minute before anything happens. By using the bulb it lets light in until you release it. Anyways enough of the technical stuff. Everytime I capture a photo I did a happy dance - like a little kid on Christmas morning! So enjoy my excitement as you look at the photos below. 

Memorial Weekend

Our family photo turned out great-considering it was a spur of the moment one. It turned out so good the girl at the photo place didn't want to give me my 8x10 because she felt it was a professional photo and I didn't have a release form signed. I told her to give me the form and I'd sign the release as the photo came from my camera!! And of course there are some adorable photos of Jackson in the grass that I just had to make copies for everyone!

Tulip Festival 2009

Every year we must make the hour drive to the Tulip Festival in Orange City IA. I have been going for about 5 years now. It such a great way to kick off spring!! Everything is in bloom and looks so fresh. Ariana loves to watch the parade and of course go on the rides. This was Jackson's first year and he seemed to really enjoy all the excitment around him.

Spring 2009

Spring time in our yard!! The kids love to swing. The deer gallop through the front yard in the early morning and the gold finches love to eat all day long! The whole place is alive.