Picnic Dinner In The Dining Room

Our Sunday night family dinner grew with the addition of our neighbor and our dear friends. We had the garden table extended and covered as the temperature neared 103 degrees. Sweating through a meal from the garden in the garden just wasn't very appealing, so we brought dinner inside.

Shea and I spent most of the afternoon making tapas and sangria, a perfect warm weather meal. I gathered the meal from our garden and rounded up some of my favorite cookbooks. The menu consisted of

Patatas Bravas
Papaya Pear Squash with Onions
Roasted Beets
Bruschetta
Spanish Cucumber Salad
Garlic Hummus
Olive Tapenade
Strawberry Ice Cream
Homemade Bread

I didn't realize until I had the table ready to go that I'd completely skipped taking photos of each dish. We'll have to make it again so it gets it time in my studio!

I did grab the camera in time to capture the two of these boys.

The table photo is my POTD, but now I'm thinking Justin and Ian might be the better choice!

One More Glimpse Into My Community

There are some amazing people I'm able to call my friends! You didn't think I only had four people in my community, did you? Can I introduce you to them? They all hold unique places in my life, and again, some I've never met! 


Brittany is close to finishing her degree in optometry, wife to a band teaching man (love that) and mom to  a super cute dog! I've loved getting to know her through her photos of the day. I'm hoping to meet her in New Orleans next year.

Sarah on the San Antonio River Walk, her husband has an eversion to cameras!

I met Sarah Danielle last year in San Antonio during a photo walk I led. She was carrying a Sony camera, and together we learned how to adjust her settings. Give me a Nikon or a Canon, I can use it with my eyes closed, Sony was a new one for me!  She takes such fun everyday photos and has committed to her own Friday photo walks. You have to see how she's sees the world!


Amy is one of those people I feel like I've known forever, though we've not met YET. She's got a house filled with boys, the youngest with the best hair, EVER! She is kind, gentle, and takes beautiful photos. And if, you look at her sidebar, she includes my name among some talented photographers. Honored! Thanks Amy!


So there are a few more of the special people in my life. Who are yours?

Why I Changed My One Little Word

My original word was simplify. A word I've been working on for a few years. I carried it over from last year after struggling to identify a new one.

I realized something. My word this year needs to be Community. From the very core of who I am, I know this is my word. I need community. I long for a sense of community.

I started hot yoga last month, led by a dear friend, and felt the beginning of community. I've watched and listened to the tragedy in Haiti, thankful to be part of a community supporting and communicating with Christina. I have discovered a connection to dear friends, moms to four year olds, who provide community.

Without community, I could not keep my photo of the day project going. Knowing so many wonderful, beautiful, caring, thoughtful women exist in this community with me keeps me committed to it. I miss their photos when they don't post and assume the same of them for me.

Patricia | Mollie | Myra | Heather (in the back)

I want to share some of the wonderful people in my community with you. They are too talented and special to keep to myself.

Myra is such a dear, dear friend. We share so many things in common, we could have been separated at birth, and somehow sent to similar families on opposite sides of the world. I cannot talk to her on the phone, because our calls literally last for hours! I can peek in on her life through her photos!

If Melanie didn't live on another continent, I'd be at her house for tea and photos everyday. I've already arranged Ian's betrothal to her youngest daughter, Daisy. So be warned, Mom, we'll be relocating to England sometime in the future. Her photos keep us connected.

Funny, I've met people thousands of miles away, but Kimberly who lives within 3 miles of me, I've never met. I love her sense of humor and how she shares her families up and downs through her photos. I will meet her soon. I will. When we do meet, we will converse about her running, her three kiddos, and her vegetarian-bacon diet as if we've known each other forever.

Sharyn cracks me up. Seriously. We've never met, and I have no plans of visiting her in the winter! I love her photos and love her family. And yes, her husband was responsible for carving my husband's mustache.

Their blogs fill my google reader with such goodness. They are a part of my every day. They are part of the group I consider my community.  I'm so happy to introduce them to you!

Who is in your community that I need to meet?