surprise, it's sugar

today i woke up to find pictures of sugar on my camera. she slept in my bed last night, and dad thought the way she had buried herself in the pillow was cute. they're not the best pictures quality-wise, but i liked them. anyways, my parents came and visited this weekend, and brought sugar up too. that probably clears up any questions as to how sugar got in my bed in chapel hill...

end note: i think that sugar had the most fun of everyone this weekend. the mcmansion had so many fun new smells and things to explore; she was in heaven.

around my room

today i decided to take some pictures in my room. i tried to find perspectives that you wouldn't normally see, but i'm not sure how well that worked...

end note: i seriously love my room.

last day of work

today was my last day of work at duke memorial. i'm really sad to be saying goodbye to all the kids, but i am also excited about my new photography job that i start on monday. yes, i did just say photography job!!! i'm super stoked!

end note: these kids are seriously the best.

in pursuit of the sun

today erin and i were determined to get a picture of the sunset. we decided that maple view farms would be a great location as well as a great place for some dessert. however, we got a little sidetracked on the way and missed the sunset. oops. nevertheless, we treated ourselves to ice cream, and then headed over to weaver street in carrboro for some live music. the band was playing dave matthews, and people were dancing around. it was the perfect night.

end note: i'd trade missing the sunset every night if i got some some ice cream and live music in exchange!

empty 3rd floor

today i didn't get around to taking any pictures. i've successfully worked at 4 different places, which is absolute ridiculousness. sydney left a few days ago, so the 3rd floor went from 3 people to 1 person in a matter of a day. it's quite sad. this picture was from her long night of packing.

end note: miss ya syd.

birds eye: global ed

today erin and i went to the global education center - aka my favorite building on campus. there is a garden on the roof that you can go to, and you can see all around campus.

end note: i want to figure out how to get into the global ed center to star gaze from the roof!!

around campus

today i got another new lens! i'm going to take a break on buying new camera items after today, but i am still super stoked to have 3 lenses! this afternoon i went and took some pictures around campus before the sky let loose. our campus is so pretty despite the horrid heat.

end note: i don't have anything else to say - oops!

janel visits chapel hill!

today janel came to visit! i met her after church to get lunch and hang out. we went to mama dips for lunch. they have the best homestyle cooking. then, we decided to go to maple view farms for some ice cream. it was so good to see her and get to hang out for a bit.

end note: good company + good eating = a great afternoon!

sydney leaves the mcmansion

today has been sydney's last day at the mcmansion for the summer. she leaves tomorrow to go to summer staff in michigan. the whole house is literally clearing out for august; it'll just be erin and i. while syd was packing tonight, we decided to play dress up. i figured it would only be fitting to put the pictures on here!

end note: i'm gonna miss you siddy. the 3rd floor will be awfully lonely.

frogs galore

today erin and i took our kids to the pool to swim. we found several frogs swimming alongside of us. thankfully, reagan helped us out by rescuing the frogs - aka taking the little hoppers out of the pool and on to dry land.

end note: the pool was a great change of pace compared to staying at the church all day!

water balloon characters

today we had yet another water balloon fight, but we decided to draw faces on each balloon. we had people, cats, dogs, unc water balloons... the list goes on and on.

end note: i left work completely wet today.

day camp

today was the last day for four of my kids at day camp. it's so weird because erin and i have spent so much time with these kids. i feel like they are just part of my life, and now i won't be seeing them anymore. i brought my camera along today so that i could capture our last day of camp.

end note: these kids are seriously the greatest.

erin & robert

today i got to take pictures of erin and robert! robert came to visit this weekend for their 4 year anniversary! i love taking pictures of people, so i definitely enjoyed this afternoon!

end note: most exciting part of the day: i got a new lens!!!!

lucy goose

today i got to spend a good amount of time with lucy goose. i love love love this dog. she is the sweetest ever and the best snuggler.

end note: when i get a dog, i want one just like lucy!

river & cookout

today we went back to the eno river after church. i haven't felt up to par this past week, so i just sat on the side and took pictures. afterwards, we had a cookout at the mcmansion. we had shish-kabobs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, pasta salad, cupcakes, sweet tea... you name it, we had it. it was great food and definitely good company.

end note: our back porch is perfect for cookouts!

sunset at maple view farms

today we went to maple view farms to see the sunset and get some ice cream - a great combination if i do say so myself. it was a lot of fun to be with everyone, and the sunset over the fields was beautiful. this is mahlet. i've had the pleasure of befriending her this summer being that she lives with charlotte. i think this picture of her from tonight is absolutely stunning.

end note: i love nights like this.

us rockets & spacecraft

today i became the vice chair(wo)man of us rockets and spacecraft. ben, the 7-year-old i babysit, is the chairman. we spent the day drawing pictures of our rockets and space carriers.

end note: everyday is an adventure.

harry potter

today harry potter 7, part II finally premiered. everyone was so excited. there were 3,000 people at southpoint for the midnight premiere. it was crazy. everyone was dressed up and during the movie, people were super interactive. there were many claps and laughs and shouts. 3 guesses as to who i was? alright, you've got it: cho chang!

end note: it is so weird to me that there won't be anymore harry potter movies. it's like the end of an era.

rainy bike ride

today i decided to embark on a bike ride with my camera in tow. i was hoping to be able to get some fun pictures around campus. sadly, it started sprinkling as soon as i got in the driveway, so i decided to turn around and leave my camera in the house and ride without it. i figured the rain would blow over. no, the tiny raindrops turned to large ones quite quickly, and by the time i made it back, i was soaking wet. yikes.

end note: you can't tell from this picture, but in approximately 5 minutes, the skies let loose.

feathers

today i've decided that having a cold in the summer is absolutely the worst. thanks to my cold, i only have one picture to post today...

end note: feathers are so pretty, but so gross!

field day

today we had a sort of field day at work. we had a water balloon toss, silly string fight and a mummy race. it was a lot of fun, and the kids definitely enjoyed it. these are some pictures from the madness!

end note: i have the best job ever!

LKN

today after church, i went to lake norman with kels and mal. we took the boat out and tubed. it was a perfect day weather-wise, and the water wasn't unbearably choppy. we swam and lounged some too. it was great to be able to spend time with them.

before we went out to the lake, i got to play with jack and jill - kelsey's puppies. they are the cutest and are full of personality.

end note: you can't beat a day at the lake with friends!

won tons

today dad decided that we were going to make won tons as a family. it was a lot of fun. we spread out all the ingredients on the kitchen table and assembled them there. we made some for dinner and even had enough for me to take the rest back to chapel hill.

oh yeah - jessica and i got lunch today and afterwards we spontaneously decided to get out hair cut. we both got about 5 inches taken off!

end note: not only did i learn how to make won tons today, but i learned that i like to eat them!

lens!

today i made the biggest purchase of my life thus far - i bought a new lens! (the canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM) i've been saving for a zoom lens for a while and am working a good bit this summer, so after a lot of consideration and prayer i decided to splurge. in honor of the lens, i am posting a picture of this new lens instead of one i took today!

end note: i am really, really excited!!