72/365

Reason #127 why dad is more fun than mom: dinner al fresco.

It was so dark outside I think I may have even taken this on auto.
ISO 6400 f2.5 1/125

69/365

The husband got us this beautiful wall hanging while he was in India & we finally got it framed. It is made out of pieces of antique wedding dresses all sewn together. This is one of my favorite spots.

ISO 2000 f2.2 1/160

60/365

Don't be too disapointed. This picture was taken first thing in the morning & it was a pretty cloudy day but I loved this moment. The husband is such a great daddy & all the kids get such a kick out of him. The baby loves a little story w his O's.

ISO 2000 f2.5 1/320

58/365

joy of LOVE 27: what they say

This is probably a stretch but I'm making it work so I can show off. I got a great idea from Courtney to display some photos once I saw how good hers looked in her house. I'm so lucky she lets me 'borrow' all her ideas & never says anything abt it! At least not to me. ;)
I used the first idea from Pimp Our Hallway bc once I saw those magnetic boards in Courtney's house, I knew I had to have them. My husband is the solo adornment hanger in our house, especially since most of our walls are concrete (ugh!) so he has been telling me for a few days that this weekend he would hang my boards! Today he was so sweet to do it for me, even tho he is feeling under the weather AND got called in to work. He spent his morning helping me clean house & hanging my boards! Awe, what a guy! Thanks, Courtney for saying I should display my pics & thanks, husband for following thru on everything you say!
PS, Kathleen & Courtney, you both kinda made it to my boards bc well, I needed some filler & you guys just fit! :)
PSS, is anyone doing any challenges in March? I can't believe joy of LOVE, I mean February, is almost over.

ISO 100 f2.8 1/60

57/365

joy of LOVE 26: the bromance

Being in the military has given me the opportunity to make the best friends. Life long friends. Friends who stick by you, cook you meals, watch your kids, cry w you, laugh w you, bitch & moan w you. The friends I have met thru the military are not just casual friends, they are life long friends - if you're reading this you know who you are. ;)
But it's also nice when the guys make friends. Working so much, I think it's hard for them to invest as much energy into friendships & I'm here to tell ya, friendships are like a newly seeded garden. They take a lot of care & tending to.
I really didn't know what I was going to use for my picture today but then we got invited to dinner by our neighbors. It was the perfect chance for me to snap this shot of these two guys. The husband & Mr T (who made us a smoked prime rib roast) took turns hand whipping the cream, to which they added horseradish to schmear all over the meat. Delish.

ISO 2500 f2.5 1/125

51/365

joy of LOVE 20: when they're home

When the husband is home he loves to make us lots of yummy treats. This morning he got up w the kids & let me sleep in & when I woke up he was making the kids breakfast pizza from scratch! Home made dough, pan gravy sauce, bacon, eggs & cheese! Good morning!

ISO 250 f3.2 1/160

50/365

joy of LOVE 19: when they're gone

Whenever the husband is gone we never have to worry abt whether he's thinking of us. He always brings us tons of treasures home to let us know how much he missed us!

ISO 3200 f3.2 1/125

39/365

joy of LOVE 08: Love from the heart (what they have said, promised, done, given)

This prompt really couldn't be more appropriate for today bc today is my 8 yr wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's been 8 yrs bc really, I can remember our wedding like it was yesterday. He promised to always love me & take care of me. I promised to never be perfect. We had our rings engraved w "My beloved is mine" & "I am his".
Every year on our anniversary the husband writes me a card (a really long one!) & gives me a run down of the past year's highlights. I'll spare you that but I will tell you it's been 2 I do's, 8 yrs, 12 countries, living on 3 continents, 3 kids (each born on a different continent), hundreds of dollars in phone bills, 5 (at least) deployments, endless tdy's, 1 main car, 6 secondary cars, 4 half marathons (3 for me, 1 for him), about 200 refrigerator magnets to commemorate each adventure & a cheese fondue & chocolate cake every February to celebrate.
I love you, husband. You were chosen by God for me & I can't even imagine what our future will be, but I know it will be bright bc we'll be together.

ISO 320 f1.8 1/250

14/365

Today was a really special day for my husband & our family. We are so proud of him & everything he does in his job & in his daily life as husband & dad. There is so much I could tell you abt him & how wonderful he is but honestly, it's one of those things for which I can't quite find adequate words. Congratulations on your promotion. We love you.

Integrity First
Service before self
Excellence in all we do

ISO 4000 f2.8 1/400
I KNOW! The ISO again! But honestly, I only took abt 10 pictures & I was trying to rush. I didn't even really look at my settings.

9/365

Today the husband made us some Irish soda bread w currants. Yum. I never feel bad abt eating lots home made bread. At least I know what's in it! But I'm so tired after this weekend, this may be what everyone is having for dinner tonight.

ISO 6400 f3.5 1/2000
Looks like I still haven't learned my lesson from yesterday. I'm pretty sure my ISO didn't need to be so darn high.

3/365

Today was the husband's birthday. Even tho we've been married for almost 8 yrs this is the first year I've made him his all time favorite dessert. I usually take the easy route & buy one but this year I made from scratch NY style cheesecake w fresh whipped cream & homemade dark cherry sauce.

ISO 100 f1.8 1/5

1/365

Husband put the tent up in the backyard to take the kids 'camping'!

ISO 1000 f4.0 1/40
What the hell was I doing w my shutter speed at 40?? Sheesh.