Free Crappy Portraits

Seriously. This is a place. I had sort of forgot they existed until about 2 minutes ago when I got my very own free, crappy portrait from them. I wasn't sure what to blog about today since I did nothing worth mentioning (except ..I am now working with a greenbroke 8yr old Arabian who has never cantered undersaddle! YAY!) so I figured I'd just include a photo from either tonight or some other day& attach a story to go with it.

Then I reloaded my e-mails& I had an email from Free Crappy Portraits. It made me smile& laugh. I sent them 2 photos(here& here)& this:

This is my boyfriend& I. Clearly, we have a loving relationship built on mutual respect. I like every single animal ever& he likes Jeeps& motorcycles. The only thing we really agree on is that I'm the funniest of the two. I keep because he's handy around the house& can fix absolutely anything. I own a blog (HalfPastWonderful) but he doesn't. I have no idea what to write which I guess means we aren't very interesting. Use your imaginations!

*Please note: I have also attached a photo of my dog because he is pretty fantastic so even if you don't want to draw us, he's there for the taking. Crowd favorite dead serious. He is very old& cranky. He hates having his photo taken. Despite this, I take his photo a lot. He likes to sleep under the Christmas tree& pee on the rug in the bathroom. We love him. Most days.

  I never expected to hear from them because they only do select photos, which I think means they pick the coolest people& go from there. I think I remember reading this somewhere on their blog. You know what that makes me? Cooler/ funnier/ something more than lots of other people who submit photos ;) I bet you're dying to see the photo they sent, aren't you? I know I was as soon as I realized I had gotten a reply from them. It was like 'Surprise! Since you don't remember sending this e-mail it is sort of like they just found you, thought you were SUPER cool& used information from this blog to draw you.' But that's not how it works at all. So here's the photo ..what do you think?!

Friday the 13th

Happy spooky Friday, everyone! I spent the day dressed in a skirt& tank top while building a snowman outside& then taking a self-portrait with him. Week 2 of a photo of me a week for an entire year is accomplished :D I braved the chilly weather& got a really fun self-portrait. Want to see it? Just click here! This evening I have grand plans of enjoying a few vodka-pineapples& baking with some girlfriends. My camera is coming along with me so I should have some pretty fun photos for the next post. Any photo that occurs after 12AM may also end up being my photo of the day ..so just a heads up for you ladies! Tomorrow, after a fun evening of drinks, I have to be at the pool for 9AM for a full day course. I can only imagine how fabulous that is going to be. I'll also have my camera with me for that. I probably won't take any photos though because I'll be too busy pretending to learn ;) Then I have a belated birthday supper with family tomorrow evening ..where there will be more photos taken. Jeeze ..maybe I should pack my extra battery!

This guy will be there. He never turns down a good meal ..then again, neither do I so I guess we're pretty evenly matched there. I am excited because we're going to a little place that has my favorite dessert in the entire world- crème brûlée! Yum. This is only place on our island that I have found that makes it. I'm sort of hoping every single person at dinner orders it for dessert then gives them alllll to me.

In fact, if it wasn't for that guy up there in the photo, I never would have tried crème brûlée. It was his brother, David, who made it for me for the first time. I sort of wish David would move back here& then become my personal dessert maker because I love fancy desserts but have no idea how to make them. Okay, enough daydreaming about my post-supper snack tomorrow. I have things to do ..like pack up my vodka& pineapple for this evening! Enjoy your weekend, folks. I hope it is completely fabulous!

Photo love

I have accomplished 2 of 366 photos! Again, the photo I took for today isn't going to make it into the post. If you're curious in keeping up with my Project 366, the simplest way is to have a peek at my Facebook page. At some point, I'll stop having a backlog of photos to post& at that point I'm certain my photos of the day will become my photos in my blog posts as well. Garret& I had big plans of photographing an old abandoned barn by his house this afternoon. Mother Nature had other ideas. It poured rain. Then I took a 2hr nap (I must be getting sick) before rushing home to get in a last minute photo. It would be a tragedy to fail my 366 on the second day! I cannot be that pathetic. I succeeded.

So, since I managed to take a photo for the day, why am I not using it? Because I have a cute photo of Garret, Squirt& I from New Years' Eve! Apparently, Garret must really like me because he hates being in photos in general but lately he's been tolerating it fairly well. It's just easier to say yes. I also know that when we're old& ugly, we'll look back on these photos to remember that at one point, we were attractive& had fun*. Plus, who doesn't want photos to remember the two loves of their life by?

Linked to 52 Weeks& Project Alicia!

Well, at least when the two loves in your life are this handsome? Squirt is, as always, plotting his escape from the photo. Garret is probably wondering why he tolerates me any better than the dog. Thanks for the tripod& flash, boyfriend. Without your generous presents, these photos wouldn't be possible! I am pretty sure he is seriously considering returning everything he's ever bought to help me with photography. So, now it's time to curl up with Royal Pains. Which, if I may say (and I may. It is my blog), is a fabulous show. How have I never bothered watching it before?

*Fun- our definition is probably different from most people our age. We drive around while drinking tea& coffee. Not a whole lot of partying for us geriatrics anymore ;)

Happy birthday

Today (at least in Cape Breton time since it's officially after midnight), my boyfriend turns another year older! Technically, it's just a day older since he's been working on 365 (364? So bad at math) days since his last birthday. He hasn't said it out loud yet but I just know he's super excited at spending yet another birthday with me my his side! This will be his fifth year getting older while I remain younger, wiser& better looking ;D

When you consider that I give him the gift of hanging out with someone as fabulous as me frequently, purchasing a gift for his birthday seems almost silly. What can compare to me?! I am, however, the Best Girlfriend Ever™ so I did pick him up a little something ..plus, I'm taking him out for dinner to overindulge on my dime. Feel free to be jealous of the delicious meal we're going to be enjoying in less than 24 hours! So, onto the part where I talk about my relationship. Feel free to skip over this if you aren't Garret (because you ARE reading this, right boyfriend?!) ..no hard feelings, I promise ;) Before you go don't forget to leave some cheerful birthday love in the comments for Garret. He doesn't like his birthday so he could really use some kind words about how 28 isn't the end of the world ahaha

I distinctly remember that time you thought it would be funny to take me to the quarry. You told me not to worry because it was all frozen& we'd be fine. Until it wasn't frozen, we sunk into it& the Jeep slipped backwards down a steep incline. I sat in your Jeep crying while you tried not to laugh out loud too much. That was only last Christmas ..maybe we could avoid making that a Christmas tradition? Thanks in advance for that one!

I also remember the time we set up the Christmas tree ..only to have it come crashing down at 3AM. Or the time in Cuba when I got heat stroke or food sickness or something& locked myself in the bathroom all evening& puked while crying& not letting you in. I bet that was probably the night that cemented your love for me, hey? Or on our first date ..remember how I told you I'd love a mint then spit it out when you weren't looking. Too bad you discovered it on our walk back down the hill. I may never live to hear the end of that. Oh, one last memory for you! "I can move my hands real fast. Moving so fast you can't see 'em, can you?!" Nothing may never again make me laugh like that did.

Also, thanks for tolerating my ridiculous blog posts about you. These are the foundations of a solid relationship, folks! All of the above& some great photos. Because, really, what's the point in having a fabulous relationship if there is no photo proof that it actually ever occurred! Plus, you can always delete/ burn 'em later if your relationship fails miserably! I hear it's cathartic. You just saw this photo for my Scavenger Hunt but it's my blog so I'm posting it again ;) A chilly night curled up on the couch with my pup& boyfriend. Doesn't get much better than that!

Linked to Photo Story, 
Photo Friday& You Capture!

Me times 3

Today I worked& found out that my pay is going to be three days late. So that sucks. It's also illegal. Oh, well. Now I'm tired because I also swam 2k in the pool. Not to mention standing on deck watching other people swim laps& do Aqua Fitness classes is exhausting. Aqua Fitness also gives me a headache when I guard it because the music is incredibly loud& the instructor yells above it. Awesome. I love me some noise-induced deafness.

Since I worked, I took absolutely no photos today. So when I got home from the pool, I figured I had to try for something. I know the dog hates me for all the photos so I decided to give him the evening off. My volunteer pool is nonexistent so I did the only thing I could do- photograph myself. Three times! Then I quickly (I mean like in 5 minutes) slapped the photos together in photoshop. The result? Not technically amazing but still makes me laugh!

Linked with {snapped}!

It is probably a good thing I'm not vain ..these photos would have required A LOT of touching up if I was actually concerned with how I looked! I just quickly masked out the backgrounds so I have some strange body shapes going on. I couldn't be bothered doing anything with myself before taking the photos. Like I said ..I worked. It was exhausting. Of course now I can't fall asleep so I'm late-night posting instead!

Speaking of late-night posting, I also have a birthday to celebrate on Friday! My boyfriend is turning 28. In honor of that, we're going to go to Boston Pizza to eat wayyy too much food! Afterward, we are probably going to go to the movies where we'll eat popcorn ..possibly my one true love. Okay, all my favorite foods are my true loves. I can't pick a favorite! Birthdays are my favorite when they involve food& cake.

Buggy rides

Yup. Today I went for a ride in a Buggy. Not the kind that a horse pulls though but rather the kind the boyfriend builds :D Remember it? He finished it just in time to put it away for the winter but first we decided we needed to take some photos& go for a ride since I haven't been in it yet! I didn't even have the proper clothes on to bundle up in so I was rather cold by the end but it was sooo worth it! I absolutely love this vehicle. Probably the best thing he's ever built!

Doesn't that just look so cool& bad ass? When we cruise around in this next summer, everyone is going to be jealous! I was sort of jealous of myself when I was sitting in it. It is a blast. I am now even less patiently waiting for winter& spring to end ..bring on the summer! I want to be able to ride in the buggy without having to wear mittens, boots, earmuffs& a winter coat. I'm thinking cut off shorts& tank tops. Ahh, summer. I miss you already. Especially now that I just spent about 5 minutes dreaming of sunshine on my face& leaves on trees. For good measure, here is what I looked like while cruising around in the vehicle this morning-

Obviously, cold& ill prepared for a mid-November ride in a car with no heater or roof!! I clearly need to remember to bring some more winter attire the next time I am going with the boyfriend. Bring it on, winter. I'm ready for you (to be over..)! Also, notice how well the Polysporin patches worked?! I have one on in this photo& you'd never even know I had a cold sore whereas normally it would be the very first thing you would have seen. Thanks, Polysporin!

I hope everyone is having a delightful Sunday afternoon. I know mine started out pretty good& soon I'm heading off to ride some ponies so I'm pretty sure it's only looking up from here on out! The sun is out& it is semi-mild so I am trying my best not to complain :)

Four Years

Yup. It's official. My boyfriend& I celebrated four entire years together last night. As of today, we're officially working on year 5. Only 364 days left to go until I get another celebratory supper& horror movie*!

The point of this post was mostly so that I could post the following photo of the two of us. And also to mention that I am the best girlfriend ever because I'm currently cooking him a pizza& going to re-watch Sons of Anarchy because he's never seen it yet! 

 
 *Paranormal Activity 3 was pretty good ..boyfriend may have teared up a little ;)

Failed

Yup. Another photo challenge down the tubes.. I was doing so well with this one! It turns out I really have to work on taking silhouette& long exposure shots. It has been pouring rain allll day and I didn't manage to get anything even remotely worthwhile posting. I apologize. I am disappointed too. I may attempt tomorrow to try both of these .. it is supposed to be nicer out. The sad part is that I actually tried really hard but I couldn't figure out how to expose a silhouette photo? I just kept doing it wrong ..which lead to frustration which lead to my second prompt of long exposure. When I couldn't figure out anything decent for that one either, I just gave up. Ugh. I can paint with light or something but I didn't have a light sooo ..yeah. Tomorrow I'll do it with candles or something! I may hop back on the train& you can decide if being a few days late results in a failure or a slightly-tainted success!

Since I have no photo challenge photos for you, instead enjoy this old photo of Meg, Britt& myself. This is from ages ago. I like my jawline& I really loved these years of our lives ..it was so much fun! So instead of a new prompted photo, you're all getting a walk down memory lane from me. At least it's not a photo of my dog, right?

Something exciting is happening behind the scenes on the blog, though. You'll find out soon enough but for now I'll let the suspense kill you ;D It is going to be cool and hopefully you will love it as much as the lucky few who are getting a sample tasting of it. So far I've gotten 2 pieces of positive feedback and 0 negative. So, that's a good start! I can't wait for the final result to be here& be ready to be talked about! Any guesses?

Also, tomorrow I'm going to do an anniversary date with the boyfriend. Best part?! We're going to see Paranormal Activity 3 .. oh, wait. I mean the best part is being with him for four years. The horror movie& supper is just an extra perk ;) It is even supposed to be nice out tomorrow ..this is one of those few times that I wish we had a beautiful restaurant to dress fancy for& pretend we lived in New York or something. As I age, I find myself actually wanting to dress up from time to time (3 times a year, max). C'est tragique, non? Another tragic thing in my world? An incredibly sore shoulder. I have been not taking any painkillers at all& just being a trooper. Go me! That streak is clearly ending tonight because I'm currently curled up with a heating pad& my neck held awkwardly to alleviate most of the pain. Bring on the pain relief, sugar! I am also obviously overtired because I am doing something I really try to stay away from on the blog- rambling. Sorry. I'm sure this was painful to read. On the bright side, I'm going to eat some Frosted Flakes& painkillers :) I hope that you have a fabulous Thursday evening! I'll try to post at some point tomorrow but you may not hear from me until after Saturday. Unless my secret is ready before then ..

Silhouette.

Uhh ..sure. I'll get right on that photo prompt. Just not yet because I'm going to take it in the sunset. Which isn't for a few more hours. It'll probably be of my dog on the beach. Just so you all are prepared for the awesomeness. I figure I owe you at least something a little decent after my attempts failed miserably for the last 2 prompts!

At some point during the next few days, my boyfriend& I will celebrate surviving four entire years together and starting year five. Which is crazy. And will probably involve a good meal (Boston Pizza penne pasta with alfredo baked in cheese ...not that I already know what I'm getting or anything) and perhaps I can guilt him into watching a horror movie with me! Actually, Dream House has an amazing rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 7% from critics. Wow. So unless a new horror movie is set to come out this weekend, he's off the hook. So disappointed.
Oh ..RIGHT. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 IS OUT FRIDAY. He's so excited .. he almost cried in the first one, refused to come to the second one so I went with a friend but ..seriously? I need to see the third. Plus it has a rating of 87%. Much better than Dream House. Does anyone else have a boyfriend who hates scary movies?!

Bubble Witch Saga. It was briefly mentioned in that post. My addiction has grown and I recently advanced SO far I needed friends to help me break a spell that was cast on me (PS Meghan do you remember that time in math class those goths really tried to put a spell on us). I know ..the more you read this blog, the cooler I get, right? Well, anyways, the moral of the story is that I needed three friends who played the game to break the spell. Until ten minutes ago, I only had 2 friends on my list who played. My mom& her friend.

Well I can't very well be stuck in some dumb level because I don't have enough friends to break a stupid spell, right?! I need to continue feeding this addiction. So fast forward to ten minutes ago.. I did the following;

Yup ..this happened. Don't hate. Plus the spell was just broken& now I can move forward in my quest to play this game until my eyes bleed :) Or I run out of lives and have to stop for 30 minutes until a new one regenerates. Whatever comes first. Bring it on, Bubble Witch Saga. I can take it.

Late night

Sarah promises me there is a Rounder post on it's way for you folks at some point in the near future! She's been super busy showing& doing well ..so I guess it's okay that she is behind in her posts ;)

I have some fun news. My boyfriend has finally finished my* VW dunebuggy! It's gorgeous. I'm pretty sure I've never shown you guys a photo before, so allow me to show you some now! These are taken by him but the second it stops raining out I am going to snap some myself.

This was in the beginning. He managed to get 3 VWs for something like $500. That right there will tell you how good of condition they were in! This was all occurring about a year into our relationship& I think it was the first time I realized just how weird he was ;) It was solidified when we followed the tow truck that was relocating the beetles. No, seriously. Check out how they arrived at his garage:

Yeah. That's right. The three of them fit cozily on one tow truck. I think by this point I was thoroughly confused as to what my boyfriend's thought process was like. All I could think was that I was doomed to be on Hoarders in a few short years. Thankfully, I've discovered the boy can get rid of stuff. Oh, and he knows what he's doing when it comes to his crazy projects. He's like the master of DIY. He can build buildings, cars& motorcycles. He can paint, use power tools& change the oil in my car. It may take him a few years but in the end he gets it done! Here's what the merging of these cars looked like last summer-

Clearly, it needed a paint job still at this point in it's life. Looks a lot better than the original, eh? Not that the original was hard to improve upon. So then winter came& instead of working on the buggy he built a motorcycle. My poor little VW just sat there, looking sad& neglected all through the cold months. Finally, the motorcycle was finished& it was back to the VW. Can you tell he always has a lot of projects on the go? Sometimes I get frustrated but it could be worse ..he could be buying liquor& crack instead of vehicles. Plus the end results are pretty awesome. No, seriously. Check out the above link if you haven't seen the custom bike he built.

Okay, done checking out the bike? Onto the end results of the VW. I love this car. At first I was skeptical (who wouldn't be? You did see those 3 on the tow truck, right?!) but I must admit that the final product is awesome. I love everything about it. Except the fact that it's a standard& so therefore I can't drive it. Someone seriously needs to teach me to drive a stick. Without further ado, here is the buggy-

TADA. So, what do you think? Leave a comment& let the boyfriend know what you think of the car! It actually looks so cool. I can't wait to get out& take some awesome photos of it. It's going to be a good prop for the next photo shoot we have, that much I know! Are you jealous of my* sweet new wheels?! I'm a little jealous of myself.. I definitely have the coolest car on the island!


*Garret isn't quite convinced the car should be mine. I, however, am 100% convinced it should be. Let me know what you think ..should the person who put the blood, sweat& tears into it own it? Or should the awesome girlfriend who put up with the time he spent building it get the reward?!

Stolen words

I joined this blog hop yesterday& was checking out the other people who had linked up when I stumbled on this particular post on My 3 Little Birds. I read it& instantly loved it. Why? I'm not sure. All I know is it probably isn't very often I'm going to quote other bloggers (I've had a blog 8 months& this is my first time ..) but this was just too wonderful not to repost.

Think about how you felt about each other when you first met. In difficult times, remember that feeling. Remember the excitement, the waiting by the phone, the anticipation of seeing one another again. Remember that that is the same person you’re upset with, the same person who you feel has let you down. Remember why you fell in love. Remember why that love is worth nurturing and fighting for and keeping alive. Remember who you were when you fell in love, and find a way to be that person again even in times of hardship. Because you’re still that person, too.

This is what she wrote to her future sister-in-law at her shower. Guests were asked to leave marital advice& I think this is just awesome. It seriously made me smile. I think because I can see how simple it is to do& how effective it would be in the moment. I am 99% sure I'm not going to be married anytime in the near future but I think this really applies to anybody in a relationship. So to everybody reading this who's in a relationship, remember it!

Dr. Phil approves this quote.

And HalfPastWonderful. Thanks, doc!

Dear boyfriend, if you're reading this? Remember it ..especially when I'm being difficult. Just think of how much you loved me before you knew I photoshopped your head onto a trout! Or, you know, when I do something else equally weird. Just think of what you thought of me that time we climbed the mountain ..because that was so much better*.

*Someday soon, I will blog about this story for you guys to laugh about. For now, only the boyfriend is laughing over the mint.

Self-timers

My camera, sadly, is too low on the totem pole to be able to use a shutter release. Just another reason to upgrade at some point when I have the money ..which is probably never. I wanted a nice photo of my boyfriend, my pup& myself. Yesterday was my attempt at this. We walked to the beach, took the camera& promptly I forgot the tripod. Meaning that I had no other option except to put the camera on a rock and try from there.

So I made due with what I could .. this is photo attempt #1 from the rock. It turned out okay ..mostly because I converted it to black& white, which is my favorite thing ever for portraits. Although my neck looks funny. So, do you folks ever do this? Or are you lucky enough to have a camera that has a shutter release? Hitting the self-timer in burst effect then running back to your spot, trying to look decent& smiling all in 10 seconds? Hard. Officially jealous of everyone who has a shutter release ..especially a wireless one.

I am, however, resourceful& determined once I get something in my mind. For a long time I have wanted nice photos of Garret, Squirt& I. I didn't get the exact photos I had in mind (forgetting of tripod hampered that) but we did get some cute photos of us on the beach so I can't complain too much! I suppose I can sucker him into taking another set of photos in another 4 years or so ..since that's how long it took to get these ones! You should all tell him the comments how great these photos are to make it easier to get my next set ;)

We even got to include some photos of my pup with us! I love my pup so much and we had exactly 0 photos of our happy little family together. It's so nice to have me, Squirt& his step-dad all together& looking happy! Kisses on the head for my old, ancient dog.

So, how are you guys spending today? Hopefully you aren't working it away and instead are enjoying some beautiful weather! It's gorgeous here on the Cape, so after I submit this post I'm going to go outside& read a book. I know ..I'm such a crazy party animal. Enjoy your Monday- they are always easier when they don't involve going to work ;D

Oh, and if anyone has a boyfriend like mine (hates taking photos with you) here's a good guide to getting some:
1. Ask a lot
2. Stop asking
3. A few years later, lay on the guilt
4. Wait a few more months, in the meantime getting good at photographing others
5. And then, eventually, he will cave because you complain about always have nice photos of others but none of you 2.
6. At the last minute, throw in your animal and get some of them too!
7. Good luck ..let me know if they work for you ;)

Entered in;

Simple things

Road trip

The boyfriend& I did a road trip today& it was fabulous. We went to Hey Dad, GO KARTS!. We played Mini-putt& drove Go Karts. It was pretty sweet. I have some photos from it. He beat me at both events but in my defense, I have a bum shoulder so he had a serious advantage. He beat me by 9 at golf and lapped me 4 times in 11 laps with the go kart. No, seriously, remember my shoulder. Otherwise this much defeat so quickly would be devastating to my competitive ego.

The boyfriend won.

But I took the nice photo ;)

It was a sad day for my winning abilities. When you consider that even typing this blog post hurts my shoulder, I'd say I am a trooper. Most people would let searing pain slow them down ..wimps! We also stopped a spot where there's an old rock wall& trees and stuff. I don't really know how to describe it. I couldn't get down because of my shoulder, so I stayed up and let Garret take the camera down. That was brave of me but the boy did manage to get some photos. He told me not to put my watermark on them because he was going to put his own on (insert photo of me rolling my eyes here)! I did, however, edit them and as per his request left off my hpw.

Very cool, hey?

Wish I had of been able to go down!

So after that we kept driving until we got to the Bras d'Or look off, where we stopped to take a photo. If you google Seal Island Bridge (or just click those words, since I googled it for you! I'm so kind) then you'll see all kinds of photos. Why so many exist, I have no idea. I figured it was high time that I add my own photo of the bridge to the google hits though and so I took a photo. It basically looks like every other photo taken from that look off. It's not very unique. If you clicked the google link, how does my photo stack up?

My attempt.

Nothing too spectacular.

So then we drove to the next look off (why yes, there are a lot of places to view the wonderful Cape Breton) and decided to write on the guardrail! It started off that we were going to write both our names but we didn't come prepared. We only had a Sharpie that we found in the Jeep ..and it was dried out. Garret did manage to get his own name written before it died. So at least someone will know one half of us was there! I may have to go back later& add my name just so it doesn't seem like Garret traveled solo ;)

Where is Yvonne?

So sad it didn't make it on the rail.

So that is basically our day. Lots of things didn't get photographed because I was busy participating and losing. Grrr .. it's a good thing I have become better at losing over the years. It took a long time because I rarely lose! How did you guys spend your Sunday? Any gorgeous scenery shots from your cameras make it to your blogs today? Enjoy the last evening of the weekend& I hope none of you got hit too hard by Irene!

SUNdays

Seriously.

It was sunny& hot all day. It was completely delightful. The boyfriend& I woke up, got Tim Hortons and enjoyed a drive in the sunshine. After that, I headed home where I started reading a really good book called Belong to Me. I think great book covers almost always mean a great book. This cover is gorgeous.

[via]

Isn't that great?!

Sort of wish I took it ;D

I only made it to about page 75 before I promptly fell asleep outside on the little swing in the back of the garage. I could hear people enjoying the beach& the kiddies next door in the pool. Garret came over for supper and because he's a sweetheart, he let me sleep until the food was basically ready. He is so good to me! When I woke up, I snapped this shot of him& I completely LOVE it!

Taken with the fish eye.

Works really well with the face he's making!

So then we enjoyed some delicious lasagna compliments of momma. It was super delicious and we stuffed ourselves completely full! I think my mom's lasagna is a main reason for my boyfriend sticking around with me so long ;) Afterward, Garret held true to coming to the barns to get some photos of Reena& myself. It was a GLORIOUS evening for riding! Breezy so no flies with enough heat still in the air to not be chilly but not too hot either. So now I will provide you with some photos from that, starting with his Jeep. Because he loves it. A lot.

Just hanging out.

I love the Jeep& boyfriend at the barns :)

Then he moved on to the most important subject; ME! This is my blog, after all! Reena was a doll, like always. I have corrected my position pretty well compared to just a few months ago!

See?!

I can sit straight :D

So that is kind of exciting. It is also super exciting that Valerie is kind enough to let me ride Reena. I can't really ask for more than that seeing as she is seriously one of the nicest horses I've ever ridden! Something about her is just lovely.

Plus, this stride?

To die for.

Aside from the fact that I have to work really, really hard to get her to move because I don't ride with spurs and Valerie always rides with spurs. I can get some speed out of her although I think our rides are more of a workout for me than her. She barely broke a sweat by the end of the ride tonight& I was practically ready to pass out from heat!

This is pretty of her.. all framed up!

The trees in the background make my face look weird..

So we had a lovely ride despite how hard I worked the whole time. I think it's really working in my favor to be able to ride such a nice mare.. I'm so used to horses that aren't finished or are slightly crazy. I love getting on a solid horse and not worrying about anything except framing her up& making my position look good!

I love this photo!

Just me, smiling like a manic :D

So that is my update for today! Starting tomorrow, the exhibition is in town until Saturday& Crystal is on vacation+ her birthday is this Wednesday! I can't wait. Hoping to have some fun shots& stories to tell my blogging friends about :) For now, I'll leave you with one last shot of Reena& I and a great big thank you to Garret for taking the photos and you guys for making it through them!

Love this.

The sky was great!

Wild beasts

- Newest post is up on Rounder! You guys should leave Sarah some comment love on her newest post and encourage her to keep writing her Monday posts :) I appreciate having horsey Mondays ..so to keep with the theme here is a horsey Monday from me!
--

Spent about 2 hours yesterday sprinting around a horse field. I was chasing 4 cute but wild Haflingers. The man who owns them swears one of them is broke& that he rides her all the time. He tells me I can ride her& all the others if I want. I will ..if I can ever catch them! So at the end of hour one yesterday, I had successfully herded them and become the leader of the pack. I could rub them all over.

Why couldn't I catch them then, you ask? The minute they saw the halter or lead in my hands they took off faster than bats out of hell (where did that expression come from?). So because I am incredibly stubborn, I refused to give up until Crystal made me leave. So little ponies you may have won the battle but I'll win the war. For 2 reasons; I'm in better shape& have way more need to win than you guys.

So after chasing around wild beasts, we headed to our barn. Where we rode Dewey's owners new horse. He is such a sweet, sweet boy!

Colleen, Odins' owner& myself :)

Good thing Crystal always has her cell to capture these moments

He is such a calm horse. First time ever being ridden double and he did was turn his head to look at me! Can't ask for a better first time reaction than that .. I can't wait until I can purchase a very nicely put together Fjord& train him to be my little dressage pony. I love ponies. Odin is especially cute so I hope she keeps him seeing as he is the perfect horse for her.

So after that, the boyfriend& I headed to some fireworks. They were gorgeous but I didn't get any photos because I had a major headache& was very tired. Chasing wild beasts around is very hard work! We also ate ice cream. YUM! Thanks, boyfriend. So now I'm off to enjoy this rainy day at the barn ..tomorrow starts my new feature around here on HalfPastWonderful. If you like my blog on facebook you'll get a hint as to what it is! Isn't that exciting?!

For now, I leave you with a photo of a tree. I don't know why but I really like this shot. It was taken with the $2,000 lens, which I didn't play with this weekend. Hoping to get to use it again sooner rather than later! Keep your fingers crossed and enjoy your Monday!

Ahh ..sunshine& heat.

It was a glorious one day of summer we've had.

Party animal

It's Saturday evening& I spent the entire night sitting in a yellow Sunfire with Crystal people-watching. It was delightful. It did, however, also remind me how much I'm 90 years old! There was a time that I would be out drunk& dancing until 4AM. Oh man .. I'm always curious as to how we did it. I don't need sleep so that part definitely is still doable for me. I am super excited for next weekend to attend a friends' wedding! Garret& I are planning on drinking& dancing like a glorious return to our youth (which is a much more distant memory for him)!

Us with way more hair.

We look about 16& 19 ahaha

It is actually really nice to be done with going out every weekend. Getting ready was exhausting. People expected me to dress nice& wear makeup. Ugh. Plus it was VERY expensive. For us to go to the bars from where I live was $40. These days it's $60. WOW. No thanks. If I'm going to spend $60 it's going to be on something way more fun than a cab ride. Although, I will admit I do still love an evening out on occasion ..I just can't imagine doing it nearly as much as I used to.

So now that I am not at the bars nearly as much, what do I spend my time doing? I think that is actually pretty obvious. Blogging, encouraging you all to like me on facebook, taking photos& hanging out people watching! Today I did all these things.

People watching was fabulous. Saw a lady who is having a baby for an almost-50 year old married man. Saw some guy raging out on steroids almost hit a girl. Then saw the police pull someone over for drugs& arrest them. What do you see in your town?! I bet it's not nearly as entertaining as mine! So now I know what you're thinking ..sort of.

I bet you're thinking 'Enough with the talking. I follow your blog because I want to see your photos'. Okay, okay. Today I hung out with my friends' baby at the barns. I held, fed& snuggled with her for about 3 hours. It was glorious. Then at the end I suggested that we take some photos. The babes was tired& not really wanting to cooperate (how can a 5wk old child not understand when I say 'give me your pretty face'?) but still managed to get some sweet baby shots! Here they are, but please, don't judge them TOO harshly. It was my first time trying to take baby photos& I don't think I did her justice.

Hanging with her horsie!

Obviously she will be a little cowgirl

Trying to stick her tongue out!

Such a cute little thing :)

I love this shot. 

Looks like she's trying to do monkey ears!

So very sweet.

 

My favorite shot.

I love black& white!

So that's how I spent my Saturday. How did you spend yours? Let me live vicariously through your lives! Also let me know what you think of my first attempt at photographing a new baby ..I think I did an average job with them. Now I'm off to curl up with my puppy& enjoy a long sleep!

Friday snaps

So over on my mommas blog she is going to do something new! A 'Friday snaps' of sorts where she'll post a photo and a story to go with why she took it. Her first snap is up& blogged already so I figured I'd try it too! Only difference is that today I was lazy (story of my blog life, yes?) so instead I'm using an older photo!

My boyfriend& I!

I like this photo forever& always.

So I guess I have to include a story as to why my boyfriend is important to me right? Well let's see .. he buys me supper lots, puts up with me begging him to buy a puppy and even comes to play horse photographer on occasion! You can't ask for more than that.

He is also hilarious and between the two of us we've shared way too many laughs& coffee dates to ever count. He owns a motorcycle AND a Jeep so I think that means I date practically the coolest guy in the world.. plus he has a shaved head so he always look really badass even though he is (not so) secretly one of the nicest people ever! He can build and fix absolutely anything (thanks for all those oil changes) and is the best road trip partner I could ever ask for!

Sometimes I make him do things that he thinks are ridiculous (swimming in the pool at 9PM in the freezing cold rain) but persistence pays off and he usually gives in to my insistent pleading and has a good time. Or at least I have a good time ;) I like to think him dating me helps him broaden his horizons! Now if only I could get the guy on a horse .. or to buy me a puppy. I'd really settle for either one.

Don't think he is always perfect though! Yes he puts up with my bad hair in the morning and my constant need to consume ice cream in the summer months. He even tolerates my complaining about other people and encourages me in photography. So what are his flaws then? He has AWFUL taste in movies (action flicks 24/7 would be his dream come true), likes Kijiji more than any sane human (his brother wrote a song about it) and he sometimes makes me laugh so hard it hurts!

Yeah. I am pretty good to him to overlook those major flaws. I should be up for the 'best girlfriend' award. Did I mention I tolerate A LOT of motorcycle talk& even take photos of them for him?! I'm like his very own personal photographer ..now, if only he'd get a puppy I'd be more than happy to photograph it alllll day ;)

No more horses!

At least not for awhile. I have 0 photos of them to post for you guys& zero stories to tell other than we finally found a way to let Judy get her confidence back by trading with a lady who has a Fjord horse. I promise to get some cute snapshots when that horse arrives :)

Other than that I spent last evening with the boyfriend watching the crazy thunder rolling across our island! It was gorgeous. I didn't go home to my puppy though so I sort of feel like a failure as his mother. I'm sorry, Squirty! Before the thunder rolled in, I took some photos of the custom bike Garret built. I am only home to grab a quick shower& get ready to head back into Sydney to hang with all the kids and perhaps go for a dip in the pool (yay enough sunshine& warmness to justify swimming outside). I hope that your Saturday is treating you as well as mine is!

So while not my favorite thing to photograph..

these came out alright! Tried out my new 'actions' for PS!

The bike in all it's glory.

Garret did a pretty good, hey?

I got some 'selective color' actions!

This is, obviously, color selected for blue :)

I don't know what these are!

But I really like the way the photo came out post-processing.

So there we have it! I'm sorry for all you folks who were getting sick of hearing about& seeing photos of horses. Garret even made fun of me last night saying that I should have called my blog Halfpasthorses. What a wise arse! I am here on out promising less horses& saving that area for Sarah to cover :)

Not againnn..

Lost another follower. Wow I must have written some pretty boring posts or something. Wah wah wahhhhhhh! Also I missed 2 whole days of posting ..I know my readers are generally very upset about that ;) So in honor of missing 2 days, I will know make it up to you with some pretty sweet photos and content.

So first off the boyfriend& I hit up the drive-in last night in his Jeep. It was actually the perfect drive-in vehicle. We took out the backseats& made a fort with blankets and pillows and curled up. We also brought along a lot of treats. Our theatre plays 2 movies a night but we had already seen the second movie (X-Men) so we only stayed for the first. We saw Mr. Popper's Penguins and it was fairly cute. Unfortunately a side effect of the movie is desperately wanting a penguin of your own.

Showing off how comfy we were!

Or pretending he was asleep so he didn't have to answer me about penguins.

It was great .. love the drive-in! Love treats. Love ice cream ..which I didn't have but am currently craving it. Instead I will eat some grapes or an apple. Such a good little foodie. Especially since I can't exercise for another day or 2. Ended up with stupid 'runner's toe'. Which basically means if I kept exercising my toenail would have gotten bloody and probably fallen off& also be a breeding ground for infection. So I figure I'll just let it heal like the internet suggests.

So aside from that nothing else too exciting is happening in my world. I have 3 photos from that photo challenge though! Hands, clouds and breakfast. Thoroughly enjoying having topics given to me. So much better than having to think of my own!

Aw. How sweet& romantic am I?

Not very in reality. But this is cute.

If you ignore how tan my boyfriend's hand is and how pasty mine is.

My backyard.

In the foggy rain.

AKA everyday on this island.

That's right, folks!

An empty bowl. I had no breakfast.

Well there we go! 4 new photos .. a quick update on my life .. and now I feel like I'm back in blogging business ;) Off to find something to do with this miserable day.