ABC Wednesday: E for Elephant

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ABC Wednesday: V

It is still Wednesday, right? All of this "getting ready for Christmas" hasn't given me much time to blog. Plus, my brother was visiting me for the weekend so I was out having fun with him. I know, I know, excuses, excuses. Anyways... This is my favorite vintage ornament. It is the hubbie's great grandmother's, and I love it.

For more V shots head on over to ABC Wednesday.

ABC Wednesday: U

Under: I saw these cute, vibrant berries growing under a branch while walking by Beck Lake this fall. Their bright color caught my attention and begged to be photographed.

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ABC Wedensday: S

Don't forget to enter the Pay It Forward Contest that is going on in my post below. It ends on Friday, and anyone can enter.

I am finally back to my regularly scheduled program. I don't think I have participated in ABC Wednesday since the first half of the alphabet. I hope everyone can forgive my absence. Now I am back and ready to go.

This week I am feeling like a little sunshine.





Want to see more S posts, then head on over to ABC Wednesday. While your over there go ahead and add a post of your own.

ABC Wednesday: "K"

A kiss for the Hubby. This photo is out of focus, but I love it anyways. I love you too hubby.

edit I just realized that I posted this photo over the weekend already, but I used a different editing technique, so technically it is not the same :)

For more K posts and to add one of your own, head on over to ABC Wednesday.

ABC Wednesday: "J"

Joke

So, the other day I was telling a very funny joke, and I guess Little Miss thought it was funny too. Ok, so I didn't tell a funny joke, and Little Miss wasn't laughing, she was yawning. But I thought this photo looks like she is laughing, and I didn't have anything good for J, so I thought of joke. Maybe she could be Jolly, that's a J. Give me a little bit of a break :)

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ABC Wednesday: "I"

In Laws

I'm a little late this week. I had this post all ready in my head yesterday, but never got around to putting it on paper and posting it.

I am really blessed to have great in-laws that truly care about me. My sister-in-law is my best friend. My father-in-law and mother-in-law treat me as if I was their own child. They have helped me out more than I could ever repay them for. They have supported me both physically and emotionally without ever asking anything in return. Yet, I still have troubles expressing to them exactly how much they mean to me. I still have troubles calling them "Mom" and "Dad". I pretty much have resorted to calling them nothing. I just hope they look my way when I talk to them so I don't have to call for them.

It would be impossible to tell them how much they mean to me, because there are no words. I just hope they can feel the amount of love I feel for them. Without them I would be lost, they mean the world to me.

For more ABC Wednesday head on over here :)

ABC Wednesday: "H"

Hope

About a week ago I learned of this family. Stephanie and Christian Nielson, young parents to four beautiful children, were in a plane crash with their flight instructor Doug Kinnear. Mr. Kinnear died at the scene, but Mr. and Mrs. Nielson are still fighting for their lives. Stephanie was burned over 80% of her body and Christian was burned over 30% of his body. Their children are living with family members.

Stephanie Nielson was a popular blog mom and from what I have read she was a very loving mother, wife, and believer. The blog community has raised over $100,000 dollars for medical bills for the family and have continued to pray for this family. If you would like to know more about the family and how you can help please click the button above, or visit one of the following sites.
C Jane Run
The Nie Nie Dialogs

Money is not the only thing they need, your prayers would also be greatly appreciated.

ABC Wednesday: "G"

Grandma, where I got all of my good looks :)

Grandma, mom, my aunt and the hubby all contributed to the "Buy Kim a new lens for her birthday" fund. Which means... I got a brand new Nikon 50mm f/1.4 lens for my birthday, YIPEE!!! Behold its beautiful low light picture taking abilities, and its crispness. The only thing I did was a Soft Light layer. I still need to work (a lot) with the manual focus. I am not really good at it yet. For anyone who has the Nikon D40, D40x or D60 you will not be able to automatically focus with this lens, or any 50mm for that matter (these are the times I miss my D50). It takes some practice, but I think I will get the hang of the manual focus.

A great big Thank You to my Grandma, Aunt Rhonda, my mom, and especially my husband for this wonderful gift. I am truly lucky that they did this for me.

For more ABC Wednesday posts head on over to the site and post your own.

Thanks everyone for sticking by me through the lack of posts and writing content. It will all be over in a couple of months, hopefully.
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ABC Wednesday: Ferris Wheel

I have recently discovered that the fun of roller coasters has faded with my old age. I think I can trace is back to the day I rode the Superman ride at Geauga Lake. This particular roller coaster starts you laying on your back. When the ride starts you are flipped under the tracks and are now riding on your stomach with just the ground beneath you like you are flying, hence the name Superman.

Well, when I got on, the ride was delayed due to some malfunction. The operators came around for a third time to check everyone's harnesses. Naturally, I assumed someone's harness wasn't properly secured so the ride wouldn't start. Then, just as the ride started to move forward, some smart alec red neck in line yelled at me, "Your harness is broke!!!", with a look of horror in his eyes. The entire ride I held on for dear life, afraid if I let go my harness would release and I would fall to my death.

Before that, I loved roller coasters. My friends and I spent the entire "Band Day at Cedar Point" riding all 15 roller coasters. I waited the extra half an hour in line to get the premium front or back seat. I convinced all of my scared friends that roller coasters where fun and they should ride them with me. I put my hands up on every hill and kept my eyes wide open.

Look who's scared now, wimp. During the only scary roller coaster I rode during our recent trip to Cedar Point I had my eyes closed on every hill, held on for dear life, and screamed. Although, it was the Maverick, the video doesn't do it justice.

I'm getting old.

For more ABC Wednesday posts, and to show us your own, head on over to the ABC Wednesday Blog.
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ABC Wednesday: "D"

Dragonlfy

We just got back from Las Vegas last night, so we are still unwinding. That means I have no creativity in this brain of mine, so a picture will have to do today.

To see more wonderful D posts head on over to the new ABC Wednesday site, and add one of your own while your at it :)
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ABC Wednesday: "C"

I went canoing with a couple of crazies a few weeks ago. Before we even got into our canoes another older couple fell out of theirs. The sad part is that no one saw them, so we only have the image of them in the river to laugh at in our heads and no story of how the event occurred.

This particular trip was a dragonfly watching trip. We saw loads of ebony green butts and amber winged thingy majigs. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera for fear of dropping it in the river, but the memory is all I need.

Mom, Grandma, Aunt Rhonda :) Crazies

For more crazy C pictures head on over to Mrs. Nesbitt's or the ABC Wednesday site.

Both images where given an aged look with blue and yellow overlays.
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ABC Wednesday: "B"

B for Butterfly. I wonder why they call it a "butter" fly? Anyways, not really important. I found this little guy up at the cottage on Lake Erie. He was being difficult and wouldn't show me his wing spread, so I captured him attempting to blend in with the tree branch.

**edit: Petrus said, "The origin of the word is Old English and could either refer to the colour of the common species - yellow or cream or refer to the belief that the insect stole butter." Thanks Petrus.**

When I was little I used to love catching butterflies in mason jars. We had a babysitter in Texas that would let us run around her back yard catching butterflies. One day I finally caught one. I was so excited and couldn't wait to raise him as my own. He would be my baby, and I'm sure I named him "bear" or "strawberry shortcake" (cuz that's what everything was named back then). When it was time to go home the babysitter told me I had to leave him at her house, but I could play with him the next day. I'm sure I didn't like that idea one bit, but I was little and had no choice. The next day I came back and there was my jar, sitting on the table, with no butterfly inside. Where did he go? The babysitter concocted some story about how she was trying to feed him and he flew away to go be with his mommy and daddy. I was devastated.

Of course, I am now over it. I know, its hard to believe :) But I still love butterflies. They are so delicate and beautiful.

To see more B photos, stories and poems, head on over to Mrs. Nesbitt's or the new ABC Wednesday site. Go ahead and share with us your B thought or picture too :)
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ABC Wednesday: "A"

We are back to the beginning again.



A is for Apples. Door County, Wisconsin. My creative side isn't able to come up with a clever post to go with this picture, stay tuned for creativity to ensue at a later time.

For more letter A's, or to add your own, head on over to Mrs. Nesbitt's or the new ABC Wednesday site.
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ABC Wednesday: "Z"

I have been looking forward to "Z" for a long time. I have been waiting to share with you one of my favorite places in the U.S. , Zion (Utah). The colors in these rocks are amazing, the hiking is amazing, the fun to be had is amazing. We have been here twice, once as Out West trip counselors and again last summer for field camp. Each time I just can't believe how beautiful it is.

Things I would recommend doing:
Hike the narrows. Wear your water shoes because you will be walking down a river through some narrow canyons. Don't go if it is raining, people have died due to flash floods.

Hike to Observation point. This is an 8 mile, 5 hour, hike up to a beautiful view of the park and through sky high canyons. It is definitely worth the hike. The pictures below are from our first trip out there, so not the best quality.











This is on the East side of the park. The rocks in Zion are mostly Navajo Sandstone formed by the fossilization of ancient dunes. It is very recognizable by its cross stratification (the diagonal lines that criss cross the rocks).




For more information about Zion

For more ABC Wednesday, or to add one of your own, head on over to Mrs. Nesbitt's.
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ABC Wenesday: "Y"

I have missed the last two ABC Wednesdays. I wasn't too upset about missing "x" because I couldn't come up with anything creative anyways, but I was really sad about missing "W" because I had some pictures I was dying to show you for "W". I guess I will have to not be on vacation next time W comes around.

This week we have the letter "Y".

Let's start with a smile. This yellow duck was on the back of a hot air balloon at the Blossom Parade on memorial day. I missed the actual launch of the balloons, but most of them came to the parade. It is one of my favorite parts of the whole weekend. Seeing the hot air balloons soaring through through the sky always puts a smile on my face, and this little guy just makes my smile bigger.



Now, for some yellow flowers:





For more Y posts, or to add your own, head on over to Mrs. Nesbitt's.

ABC Wednesday: "V"

Vast Views:

It is way too late and I can't remember the name of this place. When I get to school I will look it up in my field notebook. I do know that it is near Ferron, Utah. That's my friend Rich, "Hi Rich!"

edit: Ok, I looked it up and I'm pretty sure this is from Dry Wash near Ferron, Utah.



One of the most beautiful place I have ever been. The grass was amazingly green, the skies were perfectly blue, it was amazing. This was a taken at an overlook just outside of a ski resort in southern Colorado.



Finally, the husband at the Great Sand Dunes. One of his favorite book series is "Dune" by Frank Herbert. I'm pretty sure that if he could live here he would.



To learn more about the letter "V", or to post your own photos, head on over to Mrs. Nesbitt's.

I'm off to bed for now, see everyone in the morning :)

ABC Wednesday: "U"

This was a tough letter for me. After much searching I finally settled on "Under".

The hubby, his parents, and I went to Portland, Oregon last fall for a friends wedding. Since the hubby was in the wedding his parents and I had some time to hang out while they were doing wedding things. We decided it would be a great idea to go to spend a day at the coast.

It was a good idea, but it was not a good day to do it. It was cold, windy, and rainy. We stopped at a beautiful overlook and saw only low clouds fogging our view. We walked along the coast for a short time, but the wind chased us away. I'm guessing it is a beautiful place, but we really didn't get a chance to see it.

On the way back we saw a sign for a park that had the largest tree in Oregon, a Spruce. We stopped to check it out and found a beautiful tree at home in the woods. Unfortunately, it is so old you can no longer walk up to it (they have it blocked off), but there was another tree nearby that you could walk under. It was really a peaceful place, and since the weather was bad we had it all to ourselves. This is a picture of my in-laws cuddling up under the tree.

Go check out more "U" photos, or add one of your own at: Mrs. Nesbitt's Place

ABC Wednesday: "T"

Since I am always the last to post (Ok, maybe I'm not, but it feels like it) because I live in the Western Hemisphere. I decided to post early so I could be one of the cool kids.

My father-in-law is such a prankster. He couldn't find any matches, so he though it would be a good idea to light my sister-in-law's cake with a blow torch. I'm sure he could have found some matches if he looked, but he likes to play on the wild side.



At the Blossom Parade they always have a bunch of old cars. I love watching them drive by and imagining what it would have been like back then. I secretly wish I could travel through time and experience all of the culture of the past. It really isn't a secret, I'm a big dork, and that's what big dorks dream about.

This year's parade featured a bright red tractor...



and behind him was this cute little fellow on a cute little yellow tractor.



And just to scare you a little, and make sure you are paying attention...



To see more T photos head over to Mrs. Nesbitt's Place (she's one of the cool kids).

ABC Wednesday: "L"

This one was easy for me since I have two "L"'s living with me.

Leia is a funny animal. I think she is an alien because every time I ask her if she is an alien her ears perk up and she tilts her head. She must be an alien.





Little Miss going in for the attack.



Kisses from Little Miss.





I Love my animals.

To see more beautiful "L" posts head over the Mrs. Nesbitt's Place