Memories, Dreams, and Reflections ~ 2015

I know it is has been a while since I last posted here.  Let's face it ... blogging takes time.  And I have just not taken the time to post anything.  Summer 2015 was incredibly busy with raising Monarchs.  And dealing with our house being hit by a car.  (More on that soon).  Then fall was incredibly busy with photo sessions and editing.  Then the holidays.  

And even now, when I typically have time to get caught up and work on projects that I didn't have time to do during the summer and fall, I have been blessed with more work opportunities.  A family session between Christmas and New Years and a wedding on New Year's Day.  I'm currently working my way through the wedding images and hope to have them finished up this weekend.  Especially since I need to report for jury duty selection on Monday morning.  Ugh.  Praying I don't get picked to be on a jury.

Anyway, I always like to participate in Ashley's Memories, Dreams, and Reflections recap each year, so I made a point to seek out the photos this year.  I will be honest and tell you that I took less photos of my family.  I had a tough time finding a photo for a few of the prompts.  Between butterflies and photographing clients, I apparently didn't pick my camera up as often as I would have liked.  I plan to change that also in 2016.

So here are my selections for 2015's memories, dreams, and reflections ...

{me}

If you know me, then you know I hate selfies.  But I did want to share a pic of a new t-shirt that I bought last summer.  So this is me.  Kind of.  :)

{i love you}

Doug and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary in November.  I had Keira take some pictures of us while we were both dressed up before we went out to dinner.  However, none of them turned out very well.  So we tried again on Christmas Eve.

{still laughing}

Since I realized that I hadn't taken many photos of my babies in a while, we set out one evening to remedy that.  Of course, the boys started getting silly.  Nick first, then Alex followed his lead.  I giggle every time I look at this photo.

{winter wonderland}

Honey loves the snow.  Although this particular day it was super cold and windy and even she didn't want to stay out long.

{birthday}

Nick asked for cold, hard cash for his birthday.  So my sister-in-law made sure to make that happen.  :)

{friends}

My friend, Sharon, and I met on Facebook through a photo-a-day group.  When we discovered that we lived close-ish to each other, we decided to meet up.  First at Phipp's Conservatory then at the zoo.  We both love photography and both places are great for photographers.  We both love the polar bears at the zoo also, so this was a perfect place for us to hang out.

{i was inspired}

I have been raising Monarchs for 6 years now and I had yet to take a photo of a Mama laying eggs or a couple mating.  Well, this year I got both.  The mating pair was taken with my phone though, so I still need to get a good shot of that.

{spring fever}

Nothing says spring like tulips.  

{travel or vacation}

We didn't take a vacation this year but we did go on several day trips.  This is a phone pic from one of them.

{summer days}

Butterfly season started a little later than usual for us this year thanks to all the rain, but once it got started, it consumed my summer days.  And some of my fall days.  We raised and released 1,062 Monarch butterflies along with some Black Swallowtails and Spicebush Swallowtails.  For a while there it was like a full-time job.  But one I wouldn't trade for anything.

{a day in my life}

These guys are always part of my days.

{all smiles}

Kobe appears to be smiling for me.  I just love her!

{autumn harvest}

Fall was such a busy time for me that I didn't seem to take many photos other than clients.  However, we did take a family day to go to Elk County to see the elk.  We came up empty in the morning but after lunch we were fortunate enough to see a few elk including this bull.

{family or home}

As I mentioned above our house got hit by a car in September.  I had planned to write a blog post about it (and I still might), but short story is the guy fell asleep at the wheel and our house ended up in his path.  This happened on a Saturday around 1:00 a.m.  The kicker is that we live about 100 feet off the road and up a hill.  Not a house that you would ever expect to get hit by a car.  This photo shows the wall that he took out.  Our homeowner's insurance had to cover the repairs since the driver didn't have insurance.  The house repairs just got finished on Tuesday.

{celebrate}

My in-laws celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year.  They didn't want any gifts, just a nice gathering of friends and family.  I offered to take pictures for them.  This photo is of Doug's two sisters, his parents, and him.  It had been a while since they had a family photo taken.

{let's do it again}

Can't wait for butterfly season to start again this year!

{i miss you}

Kobe is so much fun to play with at the zoo.  It has been a few months since I visited her and I miss her.  Must get back to the zoo soon!

{beautiful}

Keira participated in a princess day at a local banquet hall.  All the "princesses" (and the "queen") looked so beautiful.  Keira is 2nd from the left, beside Mary Ellen, the owner of The Gathering Spot, and the host of the princess day.

{dress up}

We're pretty much past the days of dressing up (for play anyway).  However, they do still have a fun costume party at youth group.  Keira dressed up as a Geisha girl.

{macro}



Thanks to my macro lens and my stalking this Black Swallowtail egg, I was able to capture the tiny caterpillar hatching out of its egg and then turning around and eating the egg casing (the baby caterpillar's first meal).

{holidays}

My babies on Christmas Eve.

{my favorite}

It is really hard to pick one photo as a favorite, but I'm pretty happy with this one.  A Black Swallowtail (one of my babies perhaps) depositing an egg on my parsley plant.  They are super quick, so I was excited to capture her.

{don't ever change}

Silly, funny, loving, helpful.  I hope he never changes.

{just because}

I love her!  :)

{hopes and dreams}

Of course, I have lots of hopes and dreams.  For my family, our home, my business.  But I had to pick just one photo, so my hope is to help the Monarch population even more this year by raising LOTS more butterflies.  If you've never raised one, you should give it a try.  But be warned, you will be hooked.  :)

If you made it this far, congratulations!  And thank you!

Be sure to stop over to Ashley's and see her gorgeous pictures!

I hope to be back to blogging soon.  In the meantime, wishing you a blessed and Happy 2016!

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My Poor Neglected Blog

I took an unexpected hiatus from blogging.  These lovelies have been keeping me very busy lately.

This male has a unique coloration on his wing.


We are looking at possibly raising over 1,000 Monarchs this year.  If all the caterpillars/eggs that we found make it to butterflydom.  :)

Our local newspaper interviewed me last week and the article was in the weekend paper.  That was exciting!  I don't know if you will be able to read the article.  I took pictures of it with my phone.  But here it is.  We got a whole page and then some!!!





In addition to Monarchs, we also have Black Swallowtails.







I love the different markings of these two caterpillars.


And we have some Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars.  They will go into chrysalis, spend the winter with us, and emerge next spring.  Something to look forward to!  The caterpillars are brown, then green, then turn yellow or orange right before they pupate.  This one was ready to form its chrysalis when I took its picture.



It is now in chrysalis.  I will share a photo of it someday.  :)

Gotta run.  Feeding so many caterpillars takes A LOT of time.

Linking with Tamar today.

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Weekly Summary ~ 7/5/15 - 7/11/15

Spent the week prepping for a Monarch presentation on Saturday.  I presented to the Christian Women's Artistic Connection group and a few guests.  They are a great group of ladies that get together every couple months to learn a new art.  Monarchs aren't art, but the ladies wanted to learn about them, so they asked me to present.  And we made a few greeting cards that I designed.  Nothing fancy.  

Did okay keeping up with my photo a day challenge.  I used a couple recent archive photos this week.  It happens.  :)

{July 5: Begins with "W"}

Wet. 

And soggy. 

And gross. 

Those are the words you can use to describe our month of June. So. much. rain! 16 out of the 30 days in June had measurable rain and I suspect there were a few sprinkles thrown in there during those other 14 days. Now that July is here the weather seems to be shaping up some. Still some rain but this weekend was super nice! We actually had several nice days in a row. Yay!

Anyway this photo was taken a couple weeks ago right after we had a heavy rainfall. The sun came out and made everything sparkle. And since I needed to take advantage of the little sunshine we were getting, I walked around outside with my camera. Our tiger lilies were blooming and looked so pretty glistening in the sun.

{July 6: Rule of Thirds}

This photo was chosen as one of the Top Shots of the day! WOOT!

{July 7: Vanishing Point}

When the sun is dipping below the horizon - nearly at its vanishing point - marking the end of another day. Hope to see it again tomorrow!

{July 8: Bedtime}

Keira obviously stayed up past her bedtime. Or else that was a very uninteresting book. Maybe a little of both.  :)

{July 9: Alphaphotography}

You know I had to figure out a way to include one of my Monarch caterpillars into a prompt somehow, right? Don't ask how many tries it took to get him to stay in the shape of a C for me.  :)

{July 10: Just Another Day}

Just another day of searching milkweed looking for Monarch eggs and/or caterpillars and finding none. frown emoticon I did see lots of blossoms though and several other butterflies, moths, and skippers. I will search again tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that.

{July 11: Technology}

Thanks to technology, I was able to photograph and instantly share the photo of this super cool-looking caterpillar I found this evening. Ah, smart phones.  :)

It is a Promethea Moth caterpillar. The first I have ever found.

Linking with Tamar:

On Monday I met with Sherry to discuss the details of my Monarch presentation.  We met at Panera and were able to sit outside - it was so nice!
I had a couple things rescheduled due to weather and emergencies.  A family photo session was supposed to happen on Tuesday morning but the rain interfered once again.  And on Thursday I was to meet with my friend, Sharon, about the upcoming wedding she was helping me photograph, but she needed to make an emergency trip to the vet
Saturday I did my Monarch presentation to the CWAC ladies.  I was a little nervous because I was so used to talking to kids about Monarchs.  But I told them they were my guinea pigs for an upcoming talk to a garden club.  :)  Everything went very well and they all enjoyed my presentation.
Saturday afternoon I stopped by a graduation party of one of my senior photo clients.  Her mom and I have become friends and they invited me to her graduation party.  It was a nice time and another beautiful day.  We had so much rain in June, it was great to have nice weather finally.

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Weekly Summary ~ 6/28/15 - 7/4/15

I'm a couple weeks behind in posting.  Again.  {sigh}  

But we're having a great summer!  
Plenty of fun.  
Lots of busy.  
Hence the lack of blog posts.  :)  
Just enjoying life.

I am keeping up with my 365 Photo challenge though.

{June 28: Timeless Beauty}

I don't know about you, but I think this Black Swallowtail is quite beautiful. Or in this case handsome as it is a male.  :)

{June 29: Let's Go}

On Friday I said to my husband, "Let's go to Ohio tomorrow to pick up some Monarch eggs and caterpillars." He, knowing how much it meant to me, agreed to drive. We met up with a very generous lady who so graciously shared some of her babies with me. I now have 16 tiny caterpillars and 6 eggs. Late last night 4 eggs hatched and I stayed up to watch 2 of them. This little guy seemed to take forever to chew his way out of his egg. But, tired as I was, I stayed up to witness his entrance into this world. Here's hoping they all make it to butterflydom.  :)

{June 30: Thankful}

Like many I am thankful for many things. My faith, my freedom, my health ... but today especially I am thankful for this crazy crew that I call my family. We spent the day at Idlewild and had a super fun time. We came home exhausted, which means it was a great day! Keira took this picture with her phone since mine was running low on battery and is being used for my pic of the day with her permission.  :)

{July 1: Wonder in the World}

Or in this case, a wonder out of the world. Tonight's full moon is spectacular! Have you seen it? If you missed it, there will be another at the end of July. The only month in 2015 with two full moons.

{July 2: Adventurous}

The kids and I love to be adventurous and go for walks and hikes to see what we can find. This particular evening Alex and I saw hundreds of these damselflies while out exploring. A few of them were nice enough to be still while I photographed them.

{July 3: Leadership}

Of my three children Keira has the greatest leadership traits. She was born a leader. I can remember when she was in 3rd grade her teacher asked me what her strengths and her weaknesses were. My answer was the same for both. She's a natural born leader, which is a great trait, but that also makes her tend to be bossy and other kids don't like that too much.  :)  She's a great person who has a bright future ahead of her.
This photo was chosen as one of the Top Shots of the day! WOOT! 

{July 4: A Reflection of Me}

If you know me, then you know that I am a butterfly lover. I raise Monarchs every summer and this year am raising Black Swallowtails also. This gorgeous girl decided to arrive today. Our 4th butterfly on the 4th of July.  :)  I have had people tell me that when they see a butterfly, they think of me, so it may be a stretch, but this beauty is a reflection of me.   :)

Linking with Tamar:



A rundown of our week:
June 28-30
Nick got home from his Bible Quizzing trip in Boston Sunday night.  He had a good time and earned a silver award.  The quizzers don't compete against each other.  They try to answer the questions as best they can and are basically graded based on their answers.  Nick's voice was very scratchy when he got home so I suspect he was shouting a lot.  :/
Monday the boys had their 6-month dental check ups.  Both got two thumbs up.
Cupcake, one of our Black Swallowtails, decided to join us.  We had kept Rocky a couple days because of the weather and once we set him free, Cupcake eclosed.  He had to stay with us until Wednesday because of the rain.
Keira had a violin lesson Monday evening.
Doug took a vacation day on Tuesday and we spent the day at Idlewild.  We had a great time!  Nick decided to be brave and try riding some things that always frightened him starting with the roller coaster.  Once he got off that first ride, he got right back on.  In fact, the lines were so short that we rode it several times in a row before moving on to other things.  He also road the ferris wheel with me.  He freaked out a little but I helped calm him down.  We prayed and talked about how safe he was and then he was fine.  We even got stopped at the very top and he did great!  It clouded up a couple times and sprinkled on us a little but overall we had a great day.  Not too hot and no downpours.
July 1-4
Wednesday we had an appointment at PA Cyber to get Keira enrolled for the fall.  We had a little trouble finding the place.  We turned at the correct turn but couldn't find the office, so we stopped and asked a woman who was outside having a smoke break.  Turns out we were at the right building, just on the wrong side.  :)
Since we were already in Wexford, we tried to find Trader Joe's which is just down the road a few miles but I went left when I should have gone right and we didn't find it.  And our stupid GPS is no help at all.  I think we need a new one.
On the way back we stopped at Barnes & Noble so the boys could use gift cards that they had.  Oh the drama!  Wanting to buy toys instead of books.  And not having enough for what they wanted.  I'm such a mean mom sometimes.  :)
July 2 was the 30th anniversary of my dad's death.  I shared some pictures on Facebook.  I don't have very many pictures of my dad, so the few that I do have are precious to me.  It is hard to believe that he has been gone for 30 years.
Doug had Friday off for the holiday.  We didn't really do anything.  Puttered around outside.  He pulled weeds in the vegetable gardens and I pulled weeds in my butterfly garden.
On Saturday we were going to visit Doug's parents but they were coming our way anyway, so they visited us instead.  Doug cooked dinner and we had a nice time talking about their upcoming 50th anniversary party.  Pickle, our 4th Black Swallowtail butterfly, had eclosed before they came so I hung onto her until they got here so they could see her.  We set her free shortly after they arrived.
We were going to go see fireworks but everyone wanted to stay close to home.  Our neighbors up the road set them off so we could see them a little.  There are trees in the way.  Honey doesn't like fireworks so she was very close by the whole night.

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