Summer ramblings

This summer is passing by faster than I'd like.  It seems like it was just yesterday that I was gearing up for my crazy July with out of town plans every weekend.  They all came and went faster than I can recall. 

Aside from the weekends out of town (I still have one more to recount here, eventually), we've kept busy.

A couple of weekends ago was my cousin's wedding, and it was beautiful.  It was outdoors, on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, and couldn't have been more perfect.  My other cousin, the best man, does wedding videography and I offered to help, knowing he'd be standing up for the ceremony and all.  So I recorded the wedding party walking down the aisle with one camera and then jumped to the front row to record the ceremony itself with another camera.  It was fun, especially having a front row view of the whole thing.  I hadn't ever done my videography before, and after seeing the video I took of their wedding march into the reception, I realize I have a lot to learn.  I was shaky, moving the camera a lot, zooming a lot, and now see that I should have just kept it still.  Luckily my cousin will work his magic with editing and produce a beautiful video collage I'm sure.  And that I had a tripod for the ceremony footage.

But yes, the wedding was beautiful, the bride was stunning, the guys looked snazzy in hats and suspenders, and it was a great night.  And my cousin Tiffany and her husband had the best entrance ever.  There was a tiny blip in which our table did not actually exist, but Tiff saved the day and found someone to get a table for us.  A wedding always has a little hiccup or two.

They created a photobooth of sorts, in a very creative way.  People had so much fun with it.  Here is one with my dad (aka pilot?), and my uncle Gary and mom (aka I don't know).  So hilarious!

 

Alicia and I are still going to Zumba class, and I really love it.  I am feeling more coordinated each time, even though the instructor throws in new ones here and there to keep us on our toes.  But I'm getting better, which was validated when I watched a new girl in front of me try the moves for the first time.  I'm sure I looked exactly like her in the beginning (and perhaps still do!).  I still feel a few of the moves are super awkward and ungraceful for me, primarily bum shaking, but I try not to care.  It's exercise, and my bum could use it.

The other night a rather sketchy fellow stopped by the windows and watched us, trying our moves himself and laughing/oogling.  We were at a point where we were supposed to turn to the windows and do a pelvic thrust type move, but fortunately our instructor had the good sense to have us simply move our arms...  Gah, I can only imagine how he would have reacted to 8 women doing that.  He eventually got bored and moved on, thank goodness.  Other people walk by, and look, but this was a first.

This summer I have been trying to get out for a run, or at least a fast walk, several times a week.  My RunKeeper app is still awesome and is keeping me motivated to stay active.  That reminder text to exercise actually works, because if I'm laying on the couch when it comes through, I feel really really guilty (and usually get up to work out).  I've noticed that I can run longer distances than before, so hopefully that means I'm getting back into shape.  Baby steps.

 

This summer I've been drawn to taking photos of flowers.  Every time I go for a walk or run, I want to stop and take photos...and I often do.  There are just so many beautiful flowers and plants in our neighborhood.  And photography always seems to be on my mind.  Everywhere I look, I find myself thinking of how it would look in a photo, how the lighting is perfect, what angle I would use, etc.  I guess this means that my camera was a good investment and that I am definitely enjoying this photography thing.  Mandy and I are taking a class in September and I am super excited about it.  We'll be down by the Stone Arch Bridge, which is just an awesome place. 

Sprinkled in throughout the summer have been happy hours, get togethers with friends, and family events.  This is always a great way to break up the work week and something fun to look forward to.  We've also golfed a few times, though not nearly as often as a certain you-know-who would prefer. 

Oh, and pretty much all of these photos were taken with my iPhone camera, which is seriously so freaking amazing. 

Despite the seemingly busy summer, we have had a fair amount of time to relax at home.  Last Sunday we lounged around most of the morning, eventually got to doing the dishes, laundry, bills, etc, made it to the grocery store for the first time in weeks, had a tasty dinner and finished the night watching a TV.  It was a perfect day, for ordinary reasons.

And there are my random ramblings about summer so far.  My fingers are crossed that we will enjoy many more weeks of this beautiful weather.  I think Mother Nature owes us!