Kimberly Adams Photography

Thank You

2009-07-09T12:41:00.001-07:00

Thank you everyone for the nice comments on my previous post. You guys are awesome.

For D

2009-07-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity while I was in Houston this past weekend to attempt some child portraits. My friend D offered her cute kids for me to practice on. They are the most adorable kids and sweet as pie. I love you N and B, miss you too.

I have a lot to learn about portraits, but it was definitely a good learning experience. Thanks D for braving the heat, here is a sneak peak at some of the photos. (These aren't as vibrant as they will be in print, I saved them in the print color profile and not the blog color profile. Don't print these, D, wait for the CD)

I would love any constructive criticism for my next attempt. Give me what you got. If anyone wants to offer up their kids for some free portraits and you live in the Chicago/Houston area (or Dallas and are willing to drive to me, Alicia) I would love the practice.

Country Time

2009-07-01T09:54:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I miss the country. Especially when I'm stuck in traffic, or when I want to watch the sunset. Watching the sunset over a street of houses just isn't the same. Taking a walk through the Forest Preserve isn't like walking through a forest in the middle of nowhere. Today is a day where my heart longs for the open land, clean air, and broad skies.

Strawberry Pickin'

2009-06-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

On my way home from Houston I made a pit stop in Ohio to pick up the furry kiddos. It was perfect timing for strawberry pickin' with my grandma and cousin. I got to keep all three buckets of strawberries, one bucket is in my tummy, the other is in several strawberry pies, and the last one is going into the freezer for later. I love this time of year. Next stop, blueberry pickin' in July.

Delicate Edges

2009-06-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

Sky Watch Friday: Chicago

2009-06-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have participated in Skywatch Friday. Now that things have settled down a little bit I am ready to jump into it again. Hello all you skywatchers, I missed you :)

Here is the view of Chicago, across Lake Michigan, from the Indiana Dunes. Rain had just blown through so the sky was an amazing shade of pinks, oranges, and purples.

Have a happy weekend.

Indiana Sunset

2009-06-25T10:27:00.001-07:00

Before our road trip to Houston we had some friends visiting from Portland, Oregon. We thought it was a good opportunity to do something Derek and I had never done before. So, we decided to pack a picnic lunch and drive out to the Indiana Dunes. After more than an hour of sitting in rush hour Chicago traffic (somehow lunch turned into dinner) we finally made it to the dunes. We only had enough time to eat dinner, climb Mount Baldy, and walk along the beach. It was perfect timing, however, because we left right around sunset. The slight cloud cover from the quick rainfall we had made for a perfect sunset over Lake Michigan.

Road Trip: We Made It!

2009-06-24T14:52:00.001-07:00

Our last day of driving! We spent all morning in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

This is Pumpkin Pie. She was the mule that took us on a carriage ride.

Cafe Du Monde. Yummy coffee and beignets.

After New Orleans we headed to Texas!

We made it!

My reward, finally meeting this cutie pie. I love him, and his big brother.

The road trip is over, and the hubby is in Houston while I'm in Chicago. It is going to be a long summer.

Road Trip: Day 2

2009-06-23T14:30:00.001-07:00

I didn't disappear, I promise. We didn't have internet in Houston, so I couldn't update our trip. I don't want to give anything away, so I will stick to the details of Day 2. We started the day at The Peabody Hotel, in Memphis where the famous duck walk takes place. At 11am on the dot a man marches 5 ducks from the roof of the hotel, into an elevator, out into the main lobby into a fountain where they spend the day and are later marched back up to their rooftop home.

The ducks made it. You can see the duck leader in red herding them into the fountain. There were so many people gathered around to watch a bunch of ducks, Derek and I had to watch from the second floor balcony.

One male and four females make up the precession.

After The Peabody we headed to Graceland. My Dad loves Elvis so I had to let him know I was thinking about him. I tried to call him, but he didn't answer, so I needed some proof :) This is about all we saw of Graceland. For $28 a person we no longer had the need to see the actual house, maybe next time.

That sign says Mississippi.

Further proof that my feet where actually in Mississippi. Do you remember learning to spell Mississippi in first grade. I remember a bunch of the "challange" kids spelling it on the bus, and that is all I can think about when I write the word "Mississippi". Strange how/when memories creep back in.

Nothing much happened in Mississippi, so next is Louisiana, which I don't really know how to spell, haha. Notice the increasing amount of bug guts on the windshield, and the random people picking things up around the sign (I have no clue what they are doing).

The end of Day 2 found us driving across the longest bridge ever. We ended in New Orleans, where I left my camera at the hotel (on purpose).

These pictures are all processed for size and unsharp mask, otherwise they are straight out of the camera. Stay tuned for our adventures in New Orleans. We are almost to Houston (well, in picture form, in body form I have been back for a couple of days, haha).

Road Trip:: Day 1

2009-06-15T21:19:00.001-07:00

Leaving Chicago, headed to Memphis.

Driving with "Extreme Caution"

My road trip face, in the beginning. We'll see what it looks like at the end.

The Illi Prairie rest area in the middle of nowhere.

The giant cross on this side of the Mississippi. There is another one on the other side.

Missouri state line, Illinois down, three more states to go today.

Oh strawberry limeaid, how I have missed you.

We saw this guy in the Sonic Drive-thru. We'll call him Henry.

Drinking and Driving. (Oceanwater, of course)

Watching the sunset over the American Prairie.

Arriving in Memphis (I missed Arkansas somewhere in there).

The view from our hotel window.

Day 2 tomorrow, stay tuned :)

Chalk Art

2009-06-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to the Chalk Art Festival in Lincoln Park with our good friends C and K. There were some pretty darn good sidewalk chalk artists. We saw them all before the rain started pouring down. Here are some of my favorites.

Love this one, it is definitely my favorite.

Dr. Suess, I love you!

3-D kitties

One of Derek's favorites.

This definitely made me want to buy some sidewalk chalk and make some art. The best I have ever done are a couple flowers and a house.

Rain, Rain

2009-06-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

Go away, and only come back often enough to water my plants for me, but not everyday, and not when it is 55 degrees outside. Please, and thank you.

We have had a lot of this lately, combined with some cold weather. Who knew that it was mid-June already. You could have fooled me. My brain and body thinks it might be April. The only good thing about all of the rain is that I don't have to water my plants. There is nothing good about the cold, nothing at all.

On a happy note, my roses are blooming this year. The previous owners of our house thought that it was a good idea to cut every plant on the entire property down to their roots. (The previous owners did get forclosed on, but that is not the plants' fault.) The roses didn't like that idea and decided to hide out last year, but this year they are back full force. I am so excited, almost makes me forgive the rain, almost.

Ready to Fall

2009-06-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks, and it hasn't ended yet. We were in Ohio two weekends in a row, this past weekend we had some great friends in town for a visit, and next week we are taking a road trip to Houston. I am about a month behind in getting the images off of my camera, let alone processing them. I'm hoping two days in the car will catch me up. On the plus side, I'm finished grading for the quarter!!!!!!

Please pray for my brother. He has been in the hospital since Sunday with pain in his chest and right side, as well as high blood pressure, high fever, and high white blood cell counts. They still have no idea what is wrong with him. Thank you.

Sugar

2009-06-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to talk my grandma into getting miniature horses for a long time. They are just so darn cute how can you resist. Well, she finally gave into her desire and got four of them. Sugar, Gracie, Lily, and Bubbles (who I call Little Red). Four little girls who are as cute as can be. Little Red is my favorite, with her soft hair and her shy nature she is the littlest one. She loves to chill by herself, eating grass in the front yard. One of these days I'll show you how we took them for a walk down the street. The neighbors love them!

Simple Elegance

2009-05-28T15:15:00.001-07:00

It has been very busy around here lately. I haven't had a chance to process the photos I took last weekend, so we are stuck with more flowers. This one is pretty, though, so you don't mind, right?

For the Love of Color

2009-05-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

I was never a girly girl growing up. I played in the dirt, climbed tress, and hated pink. I especially hated flowery things. A shirt with pink flowers on it was not my style. I was a jeans and t-shirt kinda gal (I still am). I think it all changed when I got engaged. I was all caught up in the wedding planning, picking a dress, picking the flowers, all of the girly things involved with planning a wedding. Suddenly, I love flowers, and I can handle pink. Although I still wouldn't wear a pink flower shirt, unless it was super cute and maybe if it was vintage.

When I saw this picture I just loved the colors. The pink with the green and blue just screams girly girl to me, but I still love it. I will forever be a tomboy, but every now and then I let my girly side shine through.

Fields of Blue

2009-05-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

It is still spring around here, so you will have to live with flower pictures for a little bit longer, sorry.

Pink Cotton

2009-05-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

Lilacs

2009-05-12T16:03:00.000-07:00

This is one of my most favorite scents in the world. Right now I have vases of lilacs all over my house. Unfortunately, they are already dying and loosing their heavenly scent. That makes me think, I hope heaven smells like lilacs. Anyways, I will be sad when all the lilacs are gone, they don't last long enough.

Taking in the Sun's Rays

2009-05-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hanging in There

2009-05-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

I hope ya'll had a very sunny weekend. I need to start practicing my southern accent to prepare for my many trips to visit my friend D in Houston.

Reach for the Sky

2009-05-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

I'm still loving spring!

Spring is Here!!!

2009-05-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

One of these days I will finish the photos from our Yucatan Trip. Until then let's just enjoy spring. Isn't it great? Don't you just love the warm days and the sunshine that lasts past dinner? Aren't the flowers beautiful and don't the green leaves just put a smile on your face? I know they put a smile on my face.

Day 6: Sian Ka’an

2009-05-02T20:07:00.001-07:00

Day 6, Sian Ka’an

Sian Ka’an means “where the sky is born” or “gift from the sky” in Mayan. This is definitely a fitting name for the water is as blue as the sky.

This is definitely one of my favorite days (although you will probably hear me saying that about everyday). I skipped day 5 because I pretty much spent the entire day in an Office Max trying to get copies of the field guide. On Day 6 the entire group was finally there, so we started doing some real research.

We started this day with the usual, waiting around. Things happen slowly in Mexico so it usually takes some time before things start to happen (hence spending an entire day trying to get copies made at Office Mex).

A typical "Yucatan Peninsula” fiber glass boat took us to measuring salinity in the first lake in the biosphere reserve.

After getting some measurements, our boat started heading straight toward the coast. The problem was that we weren’t slowing down. We were heading full speed, about to crash into the coast, when suddenly a canal opened up in front of us. I can say one thing about our boat guide; he definitely knew how to handle the boat and knew exactly where he was going.

We took a couple more hydrolab measurements in the second lake before heading to a Mayan ruin for lunch.

After lunch we got in the water in the canal to do some flow measurements. We wanted to know how fast the water was being transported from one lake to the other and then out to the sea.

On the way out to the ocean we stopped by a natural spring. This supplies fresh water to the lakes. You can even dive down and explore the cave (if you are doing research and if you are a cave diver).

We ended the day with a quick walk along the beach. You can’t beat the beautiful blue sky, the bright blue water, and the soft white sand.

I guess that wasn’t really the end of the day, because when we went to leave the biosphere we had our first (and pretty much our only) mishap on the trip. Somebody decided to take a swim with the keys in his pocket (caughDerekcaugh). Now, usually this wouldn’t be a big deal, but this wasn’t any normal car. It was a French car. You can’t start the car without the electronic locator in the key. If that gets wet you’re not going anywhere. After some attempts at popping the clutch we realized we were going to need a new car. Several calls were made, and a group of people headed off to dinner while the rest of us waited for another car.

During the wait Rich, Donna, and I hiked through the rain forest. It was getting dark and loud scary noises were heard. I swear there was a crocodile in there. Along the trail we came across a lookout tower. I swear I am not afraid of heights but this thing was scary. The wood looked like it was breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all of the termites in the Yucatan. I made it to the top with white knuckles from holding on to the railings for dear life.

We made it back to the van just in time to hear it start up. Drying out the electronics was the key. More phone calls were made to cancel our rescue van and we were off to Tulum for dinner.

This video is pretty long, but it will give you an idea of what the boat ride was like.

Akumal: Day 4

2009-04-20T16:03:00.001-07:00

I am very slow at getting these images up, sorry about that.

On day 4 we did what any vacationer would do, we laid on the beach all morning.

In the afternoon we did a cenote dive. Basically, we went scuba diving in an underwater cave! Pretty awesome. We could see the exit at all times so we didn't need cave diving certification, thank goodness. If you ever make it to the Yucatan you can't miss this opportunity.

This particular cenote was called Taj Mahal, a system of three cenotes.

We ended the day with a long walk along the beach at sunset, perfect.