PATRIOTS VS BENGALS

Well, it has been a busy week and I'm not surprised I haven't had a chance to sit at the computer. One of the things I love most about New England is there is SO much to do! You can never be bored. And Sarah and Doug kept us plenty entertained. Which leads me to this post.. Patriots vs Bengals. The first official game of the season. Was it fate? A Cincinnati fan gets a ticket to the away game.. 5 rows behind the endzone.. sharing seats with the rival. Let's just say (depending on who I ran into), I got a few high fives, a few taunts, and after the game a few sympathy remarks.. But it was a blast. Thanks Sarah and Doug for the ticket!




It's like Where's Waldo... Can you find the lone Bengal fan??? There wasn't many of us..

BEANTOWN, I'm back.

I'm in Boston visiting my sister Sarah and brother-in-law Doug. It's the first time I've been here since they've moved into their new (first) house! I can't tell you how excited I am. Ever since I spent a summer in this town, (Summer in Beantown; Back to Boston) I've had a piece of my heart missing. I fell in LOVE with this city and glad to be back.. even if it is only for a week :) We have a lot planned so I hope to keep the blog updated! We drove here, so it made for a long roadtrip - a good 14 hours! Here's a few from the drive..

'A garden of love grows in a grandmother's heart'

Meet my Nana. She'll be 96 this December. And I love her to pieces. She reminds me age is simply a state-of-mind. Her energy is invigorating. Her words are kind. She's beautiful.



As early as I can remember I could find my Nana in her garden. To this day her yard is still full of flowers, and her kitchen filled with plants.



She started telling me a story about my Dad growing up and was almost in tears laughing! I love this.. so genuine.




My favorite thing about my Nana is that she didn't get her driver's license until she was 60-years-old. 60-YEARS-OLD! She loved walking EVERYWHERE. I could use a few exercising tips from her ;)


She's kept her sense-of-humor. Her laugh is infectious. After every picture she asked, "Have I broke your camera yet?!" Of course I know that's her way of saying, "Are you done taking my picture yet???" :)



Almost every afghan I own was crocheted by her, and she hasn't stopped! She has a gift and it amazes me.


She was a crossing guard for her town for 25 years; she retired at the age of 87.


I absolutely adore her.

176 ACRES

This past weekend I went on a camping adventure with old college friends. Our friend's uncle owns 176 acres of land in Ohio, so we headed there for a mini reunion. The weekend was full of activities.. volleyball, kickball, campfires, grilling, bonfires, hiking (still sore!!), and to top it off--the camping favorite and must have--smores. It was an all-around great weekend and I'm so glad we got together. Here's a few..





Ultimate playing field for kickball


Barely survived this part of the trip..


Yum yum yum..


Ryan, your uncle has such a beautiful piece of land! Thanks again for getting this trip together :)

BOYS WILL BE BOYS l columbus, ohio

Meet Nick, Ty and Alex -- they're brothers.. and total goofballs! Ty was all smiles.. Nick was a natural, and Alex didn't even know we were at a photo session half the time! But they were so fun to work with and photograph. They are family friends with my old roommate's family, who was featured in the SIBLINGS post. The red barn at the end of the SIBLINGS post was a random find on the way back from the park.. so for the boys' session, we decided to head back and explore it a bit more. These guys were troopers -- it was getting dark and so itchy.. but they pulled through (I know your Mom appreciated it!). Thank you!!! Here are a few of my favorites :)

THE QUEEN CITY

It feels like it's been forever since I just took my camera and walked around the city of Cincinnati. I mentioned briefly in a previous post that I'm in a bit of a transition, and will be continuing my journey... well that journey is to Huntsville, AL in late September - a big move for me! BUT for now I'm enjoying my hometown since I moved back from Dayton. Here are some favorites from my Sunday afternoon that include the good, the bad and the ugly.. They're not the typical views of Cincinnati that you'd expect, but for me, it's these things that can add to the character of a city..