shoot

About two years ago, my husband gifted me the best Christmas present ever -- my camera. It was a big purchase, and I was not expecting it at all! I had been talking about wanting one, but knowing our financial situation, I had not set my hopes high. I figured I'd get one once he began residency and was earning a living. Being the awesome guy that he is, he had made the purchase knowing that it was something that I really wanted and that I would use a great deal. I think he has been happily surprised that I have been and continue to get so much use out of it.

Photography is something I enjoy immensely. I find joy in every aspect. If you look at my history, hobbies for me have been short lived. Unless, of course, you count school as a hobby. I'll pick something up for a short period of time, and soon enough, it goes on the back burner, only to be replaced by something else. Eventually the artifacts end up in some box in the back of my closet. This hasn't been the case so far. Since moving to Michigan and living on one income, I have tried to avoid situations where I will spend money (namely the mall). Photography has given Evie and I a good excuse to get out of the house and explore our surroundings (which are beautiful by the way, especially during Autumn). At night, when Evie has gone to bed and Dave is reading for tomorrow's cases or working on research, I boot up the trusty Mac (RIP Steve Jobs- thank you for changing my life) and spend the night editing. Sometimes post-processing keeps me up until the wee hours of the night but the finished product is soo worth it!

I have briefly considered turning my hobby photography into a work venture. Sometimes I think this is a great idea, but then I am quickly overwhelmed with the many reasons it would not work (lack of childcare, investment in lenses, lack of time, my perfectionism). I figure the best way to know whether or not this is something I truly want to invest in is to practice. So, in the meantime, if anyone desires a photo session (pro bono), please let me know. Taking pictures of someone other than Evie would be refreshing. Moreover, I think she may have developed an aversion to the camera and may need to spend some time away from it. 

falling back into our routine

We returned to Michigan and so did Autumn, our favorite season. Our little family enjoyed the remainder of our stay in Chicago (daddy joined us on the 17th), but it is so good to be back home! Unfortunately, it seems we couldn't leave Chicago without taking a souvenir along with us. Evie caught a virus which she so generously passed on to Dave and myself. We took our poor girl to the doctor who diagnosed her with croup. Our little peanut is doing much better now. We had our 9 month check up last week, and our little heavyweight is tipping the scale at around 18 pounds. She received the first round of a two part flu shot which will hopefully be beneficial in preventing future illnesses.

We happily jumped back into our routine and are enjoying our friends who we've missed while we have been away. We've been practicing walking and Evie can now walk with the help of her Sit to Stand Learning Walker (awesome invention, btw)! On most days Evie only takes one nap in the afternoon and typically goes to bed at 8 pm (hooray). Yesterday she started making her first consonant sounds!! It sounds like she's saying "PSH." I love it! She even spits a little when she says it :) Also, I noticed her little top tooth poking through! This little chick is growing up sooo fast.

We have been enjoying Autumn by visiting farms, cider mills, and orchards as much as we can. Dave had this past weekend off, so we headed to Dexter Cider Mill (twice) to enjoy cider and donuts. Evie and I also visited Three Cedars Farm on two occasions with friends. Both locations are extremely charming. I think I may have to take a break from these outings as it is possible that I have consumed a record breaking amount of sweets (in the form of sugar and cinnamon coated donuts) in the past 5 days. Nevertheless, we are really digging living in Michigan in the fall. The leaves have begun to change color, and I enjoy driving down the country roads admiring the massive trees and foliage. So much so that sometimes I accidentally swerve because I'm mesmerized by their beauty. I'm looking forward to enjoying as much time outside as I possibly can before the winter frost sets in and we're homebound. According to the forecast, we will be having at least a week of Indian Summer. We plan on taking full advantage of it.

we came across these trees when driving on the back roads by our home