her perspective

I had a conversation with my 5-year-old niece today. It went a little something like this, 

Arlee: "Becky, are you gonna get married to someone else besides uncle Mark?" 

Me: "No way! I don't want to marry anyone else!" 

Arlee: "Well then, maybe you and Mark should get married again so that you can have some kids." 

I guess if you haven't had kids after five years of being married, you just have to start over. 

Homework #3

Last week's homework wasn't terribly exciting, so there's not much to share. 

I did get a cool picture of a spider...

...and some fun shots of a couple bees...

...but that's about it. (And this wasn't even really a part of the assignment.)

Hooked

We moved our bed into the living room this weekend. It fit perfectly between the t.v. and the couch. Now we don't have to ever stop watching the Olympics. 

Anyone else this addicted? 

Homework #2

Playing with White Balance -- not as fun as the first assignment, but such a helpful thing to learn. 

The assignment was to take the same picture using each different white balance setting. I did this with several different subjects, but I liked how these flowers turned out. Some of the differences are very subtle, some are very obvious. 

Seriously?!

I met a friend downtown for coffee today. 

I was thrilled to find a close parking spot and immediately began rummaging in my purse for some change to pay the meter. After only 15 seconds of rummaging, I looked up to see the meter-man already writing me a ticket. 

Are you kidding me?! 

I swung my door open and he walked to the side of my car and stood there with his ticket machine and eyebrows raised. "Ma'am, you can't sit in an expired meter," he said in his best you-stupid-idiot-tone. 

"Um, I just got here. I'm looking for change." 

"You better hurry because I know that you have been sitting here for a long time. I walked here from all the way across the street." 

Oh, you mean the street that is 20 feet wide and takes 20 seconds to cross? You're right, 20 seconds is way too long to park, unbuckle, take my keys from the ignition, and locate a quarter. I'm sorry for not paying for those 20 seconds in your precious metered space. 

Here, let me put in an extra dime to make up for it. Go be rude to someone else. 

Homework #1

I'm taking a photography class for the next six weeks. After week one, I felt like I was completely in over my head! Apparently, I know nothing about my camera! Here are a few pics from my assignment this week. This week I chose to practice capturing motion and had to get one "good" picture from each of four categories.

First, take a portrait.

Next, stop the action.
Third, show some motion. (But not too much!)
Finally, keep the motion in the background and the subject in focus.
**This last picture looks much cooler if you click on it and view it full-size.**

The Big One-Eight

When I was five, I started praying that God would give me a little sister. I remember looking at my other friends and realizing that I was one of the only ones who did not have a sibling. I thought it looked like fun to have a permanent friend in your home. Someone you could play with without having to ask your mom if they could come over.

I told everyone that when I got a sister, I would never, ever fight with her.

Three years later -- just one week before my 8th birthday -- my answer to prayer came in the form of a tiny, wooly-headed, little baby named Emily. Never was there a prouder big sister.

Two days ago, my sister turned 18, and I am still so proud of her. She is funny, compassionate, easy going and understanding. She is athletic, smart, and a good friend. She has goals and dreams and she loves the Lord. I could not be more blessed!

I took Emily out the night of her birthday. We celebrated with some lemonade - purchased from the most adorable 10-year-old street vendor.

Then a new piercing...

...and a few lotto tickets. (none of them winners.)

I still can't believe that she is 18-years-old, but I love the fact that she is growing up. I feel like the "age difference" between us closes every year and that our friendship gets better and better.

Torture

I spent four hours today looking for a dress to wear to Mark's 10-year reunion. 

Went to 7 stores. 

Tried on 9 dresses and 2 shirts. 

Got nothing. 

Conclusion: dresses aren't for me. 

Does Size Matter?

Mark and I live in an 1,100 sq ft condo. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms. We have no yard, no garage, and hauling the groceries to our second floor "castle" is an Olympic event.

Therefore, this is me, "No. I will not have kids as long as we live here. Too small. Too little storage space. Too many stairs. Cramming a tiny baby and all of his stuff into this little house would make me crack."

My neighbor lives in a condo similar to mine. She has no yard. No garage. Twenty steps up to her front door. She does have one more bedroom. But that's it.

However, this is her, "We just found out that we are expecting number five! Isn't that great?"

What?

Where does she put all of those kids?

So tell me, am I selfish and spoiled or is she crazy?

Little Boys

Mark and I took a little four-wheeling trip this weekend. The scenery was beautiful, but I have to admit that I kept my camera focused on the backseat for most of the time.
Honestly, that's where all of the cuteness was.
I think that little boys just make everything more delightful.

I Heart CO

Top Eight

Whenever I think about the ways that God has blessed my life, there are some things that always come to mind. These things have made all the difference for me and I know, without a doubt, these blessings have made me who I am today. I am so thankful for a loving God who "brought it all together." If any one of these people, events, or experiences was missing from my life -- just one of them -- I would be completely different.

So here they are, my top eight;

1) My husband
2) My sister
3) My parents
4) My K-12 Christian education
5) My completely-paid-for college degree
6) The missions experiences I had in Nepal and Los Angeles
7) My four, wise, doting, committed grandparents
8) The simple fact that I was born into the American middle-class

He Made Me Do It

At the end of June, Mark spent seven days in Canada fishing with my dad, grandpa, and uncle. I was so proud of him for participating in the new and slightly uncomfortable experience. I was also thankful that he had a great time. So great, in fact, that he has since purchased his very own fishing pole.

However, I have to admit that I was not thrilled when he came home with several beheaded, de-boned, ready-to-cook fish fillets.

This week, we had some friends over for dinner. I had a nice little Italian meal planned, but Mark decided that this would be the perfect time for a fish fry. I was not too happy about that. So while I worried about what my house was going to smell like and if fried walleye goes with manicotti, Mark cut, battered, and fried the fish.


Me and my world's-most-sensitive-nose stood by and tried not to gag.

To top the event off, I was guilted and forced into trying the finished product. The itty-bitty-teenie-tiny piece I tried really wasn't too bad.




In the end, our friends liked the fish, our dinner was just fine, and my house only smelled bad for three days.

A Vision of the Future

I'm fairly certain that if Mark and I have a son, he is going to be exactly like this kid. 

And I am more than fine with that! 

Now tell me you don't see Mark in him! 

To Whom It May Concern

Dear Neighbor,
I want you to know that I really enjoyed listening to your fireworks all night on July 4th. I didn't even mind too much when I heard them at 2am the next night.

However, since today is July 9th, can you please stop engaging in this activity between midnight and 3am. Really, it's dark enough at 10pm.

Thanks.