March 31st

Saturday, March 31st, 2018

A simple image today.

Simple, but meaningful. This beautiful red pepper was cut up while Paul and I were making dinner together. A dinner that I had planned, but Paul stepped up and asked how he could help.

This man, I tell you.

And before you ask – no, this isn’t a one-time occurrence. Any chance for team work, and he’s there (#teamweinreis). Not one to sit on the sidelines and reap the benefits – instead, he’s all in.

I enjoy cooking, but it’s even better when I can glance across the kitchen and see him there. Not only was it helpful, but it was a fun way for us to spend time together.

Paul, I know you’re reading this (because you are the most amazing, supportive, steadfast human), so thank you – I love you!

March 30th

Friday, March 30th, 2018

This weather is the pits.

Back to below freezing temperatures, snow flurries this afternoon, overcast skies.

But as Paul and I were washing dishes after breakfast, a herd of eight deer came across the field from the west, heading east towards the woods.

This gave me time to run and grab my camera. And in a stroke of luck, Paul and I had left our garage door open after returning from running errands this morning, meaning I was able to sneak outside undetected and grab some images.

That brought some sunshine to my day!

March 29th

Thursday, March 29th, 2018

Farm fresh is best!

These are the first farm fresh eggs I’ve had, and they are so good! We had dinner with friends last Friday night, and they had cartons and cartons of them in their fridge; they insisted that we take some home – I was so excited! They also sent us home with homemade venison breakfast sausage patties.

So naturally, this morning Paul and I made homemade breakfast sandwiches – and they were fantastic!

March 28th

Wednesday, March 28th, 2018

You can hear a lot in the silence.

Paul and I took a long walk in the woods today (hooray for warmer temperatures!), and we were deliberate about it. Slow, steady steps; frequent breaks to stop, stand, school your breathing, and just listen.

It paid off!

We saw four deer, and heard our Barred Owl pair call back and forth multiple times. I often wonder how often I’m in the woods searching for the owls and they’re hidden in plain sight watching me. Probably more often than I think.

We’ve learned that squirrels and song birds are your friends in the woods. When they come out to sing or search for food, they’re the signal to the other animals (such as deer) that nothing is out of the ordinary. Many people say the woods is quiet, but we’ve found the opposite to be true – and it makes for the best photographing.

For example, as we were smiling at a goofy squirrel jumping from limb to limb, we heard snapping trees branches and crunching snow; we glanced up to see this Whitetail bouncing through the thicker brush. I raised my camera and waited, and it walked right into my pocket.

It’s a fun thing to watch an animal that doesn’t know you’re there. To watch them think about what trail to take, how to cross a stream, jump a down tree. Nature uninhibited.

It’s such a rush. My heart rate rises, my breathing quickens, my hands will sometimes shake. Paul also says I tend to babble and chant when I get excited (“oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh…”).

I deny such claims.

Maybe. 😉

March 27th

Tuesday, March 27th, 2018

We got the all clear today!

Burke is officially back to his old self. As proven in today’s image by the fact that he insisted on taking a bath after any of the vet staff touched him today, hah!

March 26th

Monday, March 26th, 2018

This was the theme at our house today.

I sat down at my desk to start working on my website, and I turned around to all three animals in a deep sleep behind me. Finn in the bed, Colt in the middle of the room, and Burke up against Paul’s desk.

I couldn’t help but smile. Thanks for the moral support, you guys.

March 25th

Sunday, March 25th, 2018

I realized I hadn’t done a self portrait in a while, so here we go!

If you know me, you know I’m not a big shopper. However, when Paul and I made a TSC run earlier this week, I saw this shirt and I had to have it.

(Just don’t tell my dad that it says John Deere on the back.)

March 24th

Saturday, March 24th, 2018

If you already read the post I made this morning, I apologize. Just like my rule of always (ALWAYS) bringing my camera with me, I should always wait until the end of the day to post. If you hadn’t read it yet, I kept it below for reference.

The funny thing about this post is that I’ve never gotten close enough to a Sandhill Crane to capture an image I was really happy with, and I ended up with this one this evening (one I am very excited about!) – but then this morning I rushed to post my image early. That’s the way of it, isn’t it? I say I’m satisfied, and God says, “Ok, watch this.”

I mean, look at this bird. Look at this image.

God blew it out of the water this time.

Especially since I am not brave when it comes to these birds – they’re large and in charge. However, He provided me with an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.

 

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I don’t usually post this early in the day, because I like to see what the day brings in terms of photographic opportunities. But this morning was different.

Usually one looks into the sunrise, not at the light behind you.

That was the case for me this morning. I opened my eyes, and saw the vibrant colors outside, and knowing it was going to be overcast today, hopped up out of bed and went for my camera.

However, when I walked out of the bedroom toward the dining room (where my camera was), the room was bathed in red light.

It was beautiful!

March 23rd

Friday, March 23rd, 2018

I don’t know if it’s possible for me to get enough of these two.

Such sweeties, waiting on me. The inevitable law of waiting that comes with being married to a photographer, right? A simple walk through the woods becomes a birding excursion – taking a few steps, listening, watching…repeat.

So they turned this down tree into a couch, and got comfortable.

My heart could burst!

March 22nd

Thursday, March 22nd, 2018

Sometimes, there are some big pluses to not working a standard 9-5 schedule.

With a 9-5 schedule, yes, you can plan vacation, yes, you are home every night, yes, your schedule is predictable.

However, working a 9-5 schedule doesn’t allow you to go hang out with friends on a Thursday.

The second plus? When some of your best friends have the same career, they too can be home on a Thursday.

So today, Paul and I went over and spent the afternoon with Cody, Dana, and Brooklyn. We had coffee, ate pizza, made forts, belly flopped on giant pillows, blew bubbles, checked on the cows in the Ranger (see below), and went for a walk in the woods. And laughed. A lot.

As a society, we tend to live life like busyness is a badge of honor. That when someone asks you “What have you been up to?” and you don’t have a list of items that validate our existence, that we’ve somehow failed. The more I address that, along with my journey with anxiety, the more I dig into the word and the more I get to know life through Christ, I am learning that peace and satisfaction isn’t found there, in the chaos, in the race. It’s found in the everyday moments, memories, and laughs. That joy is found in the details, in the quiet. Contentment is found in relationships, in people.

Today was great proof of that.

March 21st

Wednesday, March 21st, 2018

When Paul and my dad were attempting to take down our old, dead microwave today and install our bright and shiny new one, I snuck into the kitchen to take some pictures of the two of them.

Dad isn’t super fond of getting his picture taken, so when he saw I was there, my composition wasn’t perfect, but his facial expression was!

P.S. – I had no idea that changing out microwaves would make our house look like a war zone. Ladders, jacks, drills, and miscellaneous pieces parts are everywhere. Glad I was told my help wasn’t needed!

March 20th

Tuesday, March 20th, 2018

Products galore today!

Remember me talking about the cool new canvas hanging product I ordered? This is them! I’m completely in love! I ordered four different ones (this floral one, my Yellowstone Elk, Fourth of July Loon, and Denali Mountainscape), and they all look great. They’ll be up for sale soon, so keep an eye out!

Second, I picked up a bunch of new coffee mugs today as well! I was feeling a little rebellious a couple weeks ago and really pushed for some designs outside of my comfort zone, and I’m pretty excited about them. I took my original images and either added textures or manipulated them into looking more like watercolors; just something different to bring color of a different variety into my work.

Check them out and let me know what you think!

I haven’t publicly announced these yet, but I’ll let you in on a little secret – they’re on my website!