A photo a day for a whole year???

I have been attempting something this month with what I will timidly admit a success. It is very daunting to take on a project without knowing what time will bring. Who knows where I will be or more importantly, how busy I will be in 3 months, 6 months, or 9 months time? Regardless, today I am not so busy and ready to advance to the next level (whatever that may be) in my skills as a photographer. I was reading somewhere that taking a picture a day can of course, encourage you to really get to know your camera, but it could also allow you to hone your skills in terms of things like framing, perspective, etc. So, what the heck? I am going to attempt this in hopes of growing as a person, learning to see and appreciate beauty in everyday life and unexpected places, and building a really cool souvenir of 2011. I may not succeed, but a girl can try!

With the perma-snow and below freezing temps this month, the January part of my 365 project has turned into Maxuary. We are both very bored, stuck inside, and lately every time I pull my camera out and point it at his face, I actually see an eye roll. Did you know dogs could roll their eyes? I didn't either! Anyhow, I think I will start sharing a few of the pictures from my project every once in a while.

However, I would first like to share the contents of a very special package we received in the mail a few weeks ago. I worked at the business office of the university I attended for over six years, and it was one of the best parts of my college experience. The women in that office really became like a second family to all of us student workers. I was assigned to work with Nancie my sophomore year, and assisted her until I finished grad school. She was there listening through all of the homesickness, roommate issues, triumphs and disappointments in class, break-ups, and even the day I would  meet my future husband:). Looking back, I am pretty sure I wouldn't have made it through college as easily had she not been there to offer her support, guidance and encouragement! Anyhow, on top of all of this she is an incredibly talented quilter! She used to hang one of her beautiful creations on the side of the cubicle we sat in every month or so, and the compliments would pour in like nobody's business:)!

I was brought to tears the day our mail lady showed up with a box containing a quilt Nancie had made especially for J.R. and I as a wedding gift. I know a picture cannot do it justice, but I wanted to share it anyhow. She incorporated pictures from our blog and a gorgeous outdoor scene to create this beautiful wall hanging:

Nancie, I still look at this and am amazed at how beautiful and thoughtful it is! I cannot thank you enough!

Now, here are a few pics from my afore mentioned 365 project
(remember this is to improve my photography, so hopefully January will be the worst ;)):

 

Gone Sledding!

Jen: Today was awful! I am over the job hunting!
J.R.: You wanna go sledding?
Jen: Be serious!
J.R.: No really, go buy a sled.
Jen: Are you really being serious?
J.R.: Do it!

Want to get your mind off of a frustrating situation? Try sledding down a steep hill in the pitch black of night for an hour or so. After the first few crashes and and a face full of snow, you worry about little else than how you will make it back up to the top.

This is J.R.'s new favorite accessory*eye roll*:). As dorky as he looks:), I have to say it came in handy for night sledding!

 After about the fifth run down, we were wishing we had a portable ski lift on hand!

J.R.'s run...

Jen's run...

This really did hurt! I have the bruises to prove it!!:)

It's really hard to get good pictures at night without the flash, but I still like this one:)

I heard on the news a few days ago that there was snow on the ground in 49 of the 50 states, with the exception of Florida. Happy sledding everyone 

(except my Florida family, who are truly disappointed I'm sure:))!

A Tender Tennessee Christmas...and A Few Snowball Fights:)

J.R. and I made the NINE hour drive to Tennessee once again to celebrate Christmas southern style. This year my sister and her husband were home so we had a full house.

We had a wonderful visit with great meals, awesome popcorn cooked with my dad's new "whirley-pop", and an early morning pajama snowball fight/photo session...

 ....and the money shot!!

We forgot to pack J.R.'s pjs:(

Uncle Tom and Aunt Susan

And since we didn't get our Christmas card out this year...

Lazy perfect evening...

Christmas in PA

J.R.'s Aunt Susan and Roger came to visit us last weekend for an early Christmas. We had fun eating out, watching movies and playing with remote control helicopters??

What can I say? I think Roger and J.R. paid more attention to these bad boys than anything else over the weekend! Poor Max figured out early on that these were not toys he wanted anything to do with, so as soon as he heard the slightest whistle of the wings, he was huddled up in a corner with a terrified look on his puppy face.

Though I have no pictures, I must mention the fun J.R. and I had at his office Christmas party! The party landed smack in the middle of Aunt Susan and Roger's visit, so they decided to drive to Ohio and visit some of their friends while we dressed up and went out for the evening. We have been to three company Christmas parties now, and this one, held at the Heinz History Center, was by far the most fun! Each year a silent auction is set up with proceeds going to a good cause. This year they added a little bit of Vegas to the mix with Casino tables:). We bought chips and won tickets that we could enter into giveaways. Vendors had donated iPads (which we didn't win:( ), a $500 giftcard to Lowes (which our friends did win:)!), etc. I haven't ever gambled before, but I imagine it's a lot more fun when you can laugh at how much you are losing, knowing that it is all for the better good, ha! About $30,000 was raised for Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh that night. Oh, and did I mention there was dancing this time too? Maybe next year I can actually drag J.R. out onto the floor with me! Great night!

Sunday night, we opened gifts and had a good laugh watching our "child" excitedly open his package of "poopie bags"!




Nothing is more entertaining than watching dogs with wrapping paper...

Excuse the bad photography and poor lighting in these next pictures, but I had to add some of these:)

Beautiful ornaments they gave us!

Thanks Susan and Roger for a great weekend!

Getting into the Christmas spirit

Max humored me a few days ago with a quick Christmas session. Really, he had no choice, and it is evident in his expressions. Something I learned: wait until he is asleep and then ambush him. He is so out of it while he is waking up that he barely notices the Santa hat placed oh so delicately on his head:).

A Tennessee Thanksgiving

Tennessee bound, we made our way through the twisty roads of West Virginia and spotty holiday traffic this past Wednesday with one thing in mind, a taste for "Hugh Nichols Smoked Thanksgiving Ham". Yes, that is its official name, and if anyone reading this blog has had the privilege of tasting his juicy masterpieces they can attest to the fact that all other ham forever loses its appeal. My dad was apparently in a traditional mood this year, so he promised a smoked Turkey that could rival the ham for Thanksgiving dinner (and a ham on Saturday for our troubles).

We were a rather small group this year with my sister visiting her husband's family, and my aunt and uncle in Florida, so we were excited to have my dad's friends Linda and Benny join us for dinner. Linda prepared a very "sex and the city-esque" white cranberry cosmopolitan for each of us girls before dinner.

I am still in shock at finding this in my Grandmother's hands even if it was only one small sip;)!

And whats this? Do real men really drink cosmos?

Anyhow, what would Thanksgiving be without the classic daddy carving picture?

What a beauty she was! She tasted "pretty good" too Daddy;)!

Accompanied by Jackie's tasty side dishes, the turkey filled our bellies to the "pants unbuttoned" kind of full, and we all relaxed and let the inevitable sleepiness overtake us. Luckily, Linda went home after dinner and came back accompanied by her new baby Corgis, Charlie and Bella. You can guess where our renewed attention went for the rest of the evening. The hard part was allocating ear scratches and tummy rubs evenly between the two.

As my dad finished carving the Turkey leftovers, a wishbone appeared with J.R.'s and my names on it. It being our first Thanksgiving as a married couple, I thought about going easy on him...

Clearly he had the same thing on his mind...

Fortunately, sometime later we reconciled, kissed and made up (but for the record, I got the wish!)

A few mornings later, we woke up to a beautiful sunrise worthy of some further attention, so my dad, J.R., Max and I decided to take a drive to a local farm/make-shift shooting range.

Max can be a tricky dog to keep in eye sight when he gets a rare opportunity to roam without his leash, and before I could utter one word of disapproval, he found what I can only assume is some semblance of doggie heaven in a huge puddle of mud.

I hope it was well worth a bath in 40 degree weather the next day, Maxwell!

As usual, our Tennessee Thanksgiving did not disappoint. I hope everyone had an eventful and happy weekend as well :). I am thankful for the many roofs over our heads, including our own, this year, for
friends and family to spend the important and the not so important days with:), and the continued health of all of our loved ones. I am mindful of those who are unable to spend the holidays with family and appreciate their sacrifices. Happy Thanksgiving to all!