Post by Lucy

As I am sitting here watching snow fall outside my window, I'm reminded that this winter has thwarted three out of four of my vacation plans due to All. The. Snow. Two of those were just weekend trips up to the North Shore, but the most recent happened out of state. My husband, Jay, and I were planning to go to Smoky Mountains National Park, but *of course*, the day we were going to fly into Atlanta and drive the 4+ hours to the park, there was a winter storm dumping 10+ inches of snow on the region. Driving on mountain roads in a blizzard sounded like the absolute last thing I wanted to do, so, we ended up rerouting our trip and driving south instead.We spent about 45 minutes quickly making new plans for our four days away, and I think we threw together a pretty good itinerary! We toured around Savannah, stayed at a beach resort on Hilton Head Island for a couple of nights, headed to Charleston for a day, visited a few nature preserves, and stopped by Congaree National Park to hike around a bit.I am still going through the many, many photos I took, but below are a few of my favorites so far! Although it was vastly different than the Smoky Mountains trip I had hoped for, it was still a wonderful little getaway.  

post by leslie

It's barely hovering at 32 degrees outside as I write this, so I think it's fair to say that in April in Minnesota, we often have to go inside to find a little whiff of spring.This week, I was hired to photograph a huge flower show inside The Galleria (our *fancy* mall), and it was so lovely. Just walking through the doors and smelling all those blooms was glorious. I'm attaching a few of my favorite shots, but feel free to head there on your own -- it's free and a great way to spend a freezing Minnesota afternoon. Especially since it might snow next week. And for your internet shares of the day:+ Look at Utah being all progressive! This pleases me greatly (although I'm sad that legal action needs to be taken for such cases).+ Beautiful, modern Easter eggs.+ Gorgeous animal portraits. Squad goals.

post by  leslie

Besides the fabulous lions, elephants, rhino and giraffes, the gorillas at the zoo in Kansas were also amazing. They had a huge space to roam and cool things to climb on and they loved coming over to the glass and seeing the humans. Here are a few photos from our time with them. Oh the babies! They were so cute and I nearly died when one of the babies kept coming over to watch Ezra.For your internet share of the day, I love the idea of this app!It got me thinking about my favorite apps (besides instagram), so I thought I'd share them with you today.+ Much like the iNaturalist app above, I love this one for identifying birds.+ This game gets me through many stressful situations. And it's pretty!+ This app is used daily to chat with my mom friends who don't know when we'll find time to talk, but we can at least leave each other updates and see each other's faces while doing so.+ My Fitness Pal is great for keeping track of my food and exercise and water intake.+ Sky guide is wonderful for identifying stars and planets and finding the milky way when you're trying to take photos of it in the dark.

post by leslie

While back in Kansas, we spent one morning at the local zoo -- and it was fantastic. I have several photos to share (nothing too amazing as I only had my 50 mm lens on me, and that's not exactly ideal for shooting wild animals). But my favorite moment was when Ezra got to feed the giraffes. I'm showing those photos today, and I might show some other shots later this week. Right now I'm a bit busy trying to get my work from last week caught up.I must say, my friends and clients have been amazingly patient and gracious as I took time off to be with family after my grandmother's death. I appreciate that so, so much.For your internet shares of the day:+ I can't imagine being 11 and standing up for my race and my life like this. What a kid.+ This ad ran in our newspaper yesterday, and it piqued my interest. + What kids should be thinking about, instead of guns, is roller skates. And wow these are pretty.+ Need a pretty and easy dress for summer? I got you.+ And did you hear that Target has paired up with Hunter? This collection looks pretty rad. 

post by leslie

Did you guys catch that game last night? WOW.I mean, let me be clear, I totally have the Jayhawks playing Villanova in my bracket because I went to school there, and I'm too much of a homer to wish anything else, but I never really thought that would actually HAPPEN. And just take a look at how happy my boys were in the minutes after that win. What a nice cap to the weekend.We returned from Kansas yesterday afternoon (sorry about the lack of posts -- things were busy to say the least), and got the car unloaded just in time to turn on the game.A few business notes:+ I have one spot left for my headshot sessions. You can sign up for that here.+ If you have contact info for any dog rescues you are fond of, send them my way. I'm doing a secret project with rescue dogs and I need names and emails! Pretty please! (More soon.)Now, for internet shares of the day:+ These cookie photos stopped me in my tracks.+ Here are photos from the weekend's protests -- some great signs in there. We were scheduled to protest in St. Paul, but then ended up back in Kansas, assuming there would be no protests there. BUT WE WERE WRONG! A few hundred protested, and made me proud.+ Last I heard, the people of Flint still can't drink their tap water. But don't worry, Trump is working on rolling back water protections for citizens. Good job, Mr. Burns.

Post by Leslie

It has been a strange few days.I haven't had time to pick up my camera as I've been rushing through work and packing and making travel plans to head back home. And frankly, all of that is taking every bit of energy I have. I haven't practiced piano (the lesson this afternoon should be interesting) and I haven't taken photos and I haven't read and I've just... worked. And sat. And cleaned. And spaced out. And cried.Grief is so strange each time around. My lovely Mimi had been very sick for quite some time, and I knew for the last 8 months or so that she didn't have long. But still.Yesterday I frantically listened to all my old voicemails to see if I still had that one on the machine that she left last year (I didn't). I just wanted to hear her voice one more time, you know?I go from plowing through a job to staring out the window with tears on my cheeks in an instant. And the weight on my chest -- the physical weight is so surprising. And I am freezing. I cannot warm up despite the hot showers, the tea or the soup.My friends and clients have been amazing -- rescheduling everything and being so understanding. I truly do appreciate that.The photo above is from a walk we took in the sunshine last weekend, before the recent snowfall. Hopefully I'll have the energy to pick up my camera again soon. I will say, having a toddler in the house is a wonderful distraction, and I'm happy I can share him with the family this week.For your internet shares of the day:+ Something happy.+ Something sad.+ Some inexpensive but beautiful finds for the kitchen (good job, Target).

post by leslie

My amazing 97-year-old grandmother died yesterday.I'm still in a little bit of shock as we finish up plans/arrangements to get back to Kansas to be with family, but I wanted to tell you guys all about her.First, I really want to tell you how fiercely independent she was. She lived alone with no medical assistance until very recently (thanks to my amazing Aunt Nancy). Until losing her eyesight completely in later years, she loved working the daily crypto quip, watching any kind of basketball she could find on the television and reading Architectural Digests, dreaming of a home remodel.One of the main things I'll always remember was her extreme love and devotion to my grandfather (he died when I was seven or eight, and she never even thought about going out on a date with another man). She would wax on and on about what a wonderful husband he was and how much she missed him. She loved telling me about her taking the train to San Fransisco to marry him (he was in the service) and what an adventure that time of her life was. I am so hopeful that they are together again today.Her other loves included college basketball (she and my grandfather would travel the midwest to see NCAA tournament games in person), wine (sherry, most importantly) and jazz music. She had a fabulous home stereo, and you could always stop by to listen to music, visit and watch a little basketball. And you better not turn her down when it came to food or beverage -- I always ended up with some Dr. Pepper at the minimum (served ice cold), and usually a piece or two of chocolate.She worked as a bank secretary before marrying my grandfather, and then later she sold real estate. She had wonderful clients who would often give her gifts after sales were completed, and she loved telling us about these families. As she aged, she lost her vision, and needed medication. She called the local pharmacy, and the person who worked there knew her because his parents had bought a house from her, and they began delivering her medication free of charge.My grandmother was also known for her insistence of proper grammar. A visit with Mimi without a single correction of speech was a big accomplishment, let me tell you. It's probably the only way I ever got a job as a copy editor at a newspaper.As a child, I was perplexed at this grandmother's lack of baking or sewing, but as an adult I have such a grand appreciation for her love of hard work, her wine and her music. Clearly, you can see how I adopted these values.I will miss Mimi so very much, but I am truly hoping she is in no pain, can see with 20/20 vision again and is in my grandfather's arms. As she used to tell me repeatedly, getting old like this is not for the faint of heart.