{Aloha}

I had a REALLY big treat last week.  Nope, not a venti latte (ok, I had a few of those too...), but a trip to Maui!  I had never been to Hawaii and it was everything everyone had promised.  I will share some of my favorite photos.  I am proud to say my camera was on manual the whole time but since my husband doesn't love to wait 5 minutes while I think through every shot, I am happy with the photos but I know I could do better.  We hiked, biked, sunned, dined, slept, shopped, and chatted.  We stayed in Wailea, at the wonderful Fairmont-Key Lani for a week.  Amazing service. Paradise.  Thanks to incredible babysitters I could relax (not enough words to thank them...) and enjoy!

Aloha.

Sweet Shot Tuesday {Bouncing Kids}

Challenging myself to take more photos of the kids.  (Inspired by Karli)
Here's my Sweet Shot Tuesday post...

Bouncy balls provide lots of exercise and entertainment in the winter....love 'em.

{Spinning} mb3 p52

Here is my photo entry for the week.  I am working on focusing my new 60mm lens and finding the right lighting for the best shots.  I'm 50/50 getting a face in focus but when it on, its ON!  (this photo actually isn't as sharp as it could be) Oh, this new lens is so much better than my kit lenses, the color and the quality are so exciting.  I liked how the color turned out in this one.  We've been doing some dancing at our house lately!

Sweet Shot Tuesday & p52

Yep, I just posted a photo of a car.  Actually, this was a super fun challenge.  I needed to take the photo for a contest (didn't win, boo) and I wanted to use our Christmas lights outside, as well as my new Speedlite 430ex II.  I like the final product aside from the green dot on the car (should have removed in photoshop).

So, 2011.  I'm not a January resolution person.  I like the fresh start feeling of this time of year.  We had a wonderful Christmas break, maybe the best ever in our family.  We really enjoyed each other, our time and lots of family.  It was a great mix of hosting and attending.  The first year of relaxing with the kiddos, seeing movies, & sledding without worries of a strict bedtime, meltdowns and constant whining.  The kids are growing fast and that is scary really fun to experience.

I have not been around this blog much the past 6 months or so.  Although I have never been a constant blogger, I felt the need to take a break from posting and my sewing has slowed a bit.   I am going to continue to blog as time allows with no pressure, just fun.

I have enjoyed photography so much this last year; maybe more than quilting (gasp!).  I have decided to challenge myself to a photo project, m3bp52.  One good photo a week for a year.  I thought about the Project365 groups of a photo a day but not sure about that commitment.  I'll start slower and add more as needed. :)  I want to get better, a lot better.  That's most of what you'll see here in the next year.  Thanks for checking me out!