Eating and Drinking in DC....

This is my second time to DC in the last year (for work) but probably my 10th or so time. And I love it. It is such a fun and eclectic city. There is no shortage of great and diverse restaurants and even when I'm on my own I try to hit up different restaurants every time I come. So the 2nd night in I took the metro to China Town and had dinner at a great brewery, RFD.

They were having a great specials and I only spend $10 for a beer and a burger. It was DELISH!

First came the beer. It was a little different but hit the spot.

Then came the huge delicious burger and I thought I would only have half....

But nope, I finished it all. And here is the picture to prove it.

I'll be here for another 2 days. I'm hoping to get some more cool shots while I'm here. But as the day unwinds, I think of my boys back home. I'm missing them a bunch but I'll be back pretty soon.

More DC pics in the upcoming days!
Later

N@

Scavenger Hunt 9/20

I seem to work best under pressure. Three of the five pics from the scavenger hunt were taken yesterday and one today. (oops again). These were kind of hard for me because they really didn't have a human component. Or at least I couldn't find one. So with no further ado...

Wish/Dream

I had always dreamed of going to Paris. This is one from my archives (circa Feb 2008). It was taken w/ my P&S and I re-edited for this scavenger hunt.

Clean

I found this bar of soap last night in my hotel room. Soap=Clean.

Currency

Leo went to Malta and he brought back some Euros. This is one of the coins.

Pair

Here I have two pairs...a pair of jeans and a pair of shoes. No head b/c it was a guy standing waiting for the metro yesterday at the airport.

Square

And I took this one today on my way to work. I was looking for a square and was frustrated that I could not find one. Then I looked up and say them....a building full of windows in the shape of squares. Score!

To see more great entries go to:

Later!
N@

Scavenger Hunt Sunday 9/12

Hey all! I'm joining the party just a little late. I actually took two of my pictures today...please don't shoot me.

Here are my interpretations...

Power line:

I jog every Saturday and along the trail are these power lines that stretch a few blocks. I was looking forward to photographing this stretch of power lines but once I got to the park, I realized I forgot the least for my dog! Pebbles is my jogging partner and I could not leave her behind. So instead I took this one right before I drove back home to get the leash.

Newspaper:

I took this one today. These line the entrance right as I enter my job. I edited in a vintage style since newspapers are a dying breed.

Pose:

Nicolas was playing Sunday morning with his dinosaur puzzle and he posed his dinosaurs along the window. Perfect opportunity.

Hobby:

Photography is my first and only hobby. For a while I thought cooking was my hobby but Leo is the pickiest eater so that limited my creativity.

Landscape:

I looked for a "true" landscape in my pics from my vacation and none spoke to me. So instead I'm entering this sunset/landscape as a landscape. I love sunset pictures and I took plenty while on vacation.

I hope you have enjoyed my entries, even if they are a little late.

Too see more great entries go to




Have a productive week!

N@

St. Lucia Vacation Part 2

Our vacation continued and we ate, played in the sun, took an excursion around the island, hiked, snorkeled and ate some more.

On the tour of the island we went snorkeling, went to an active volcano, bathed in these muddy waters, had an authentic St. Lucian lunch, bathed in a mineral spring and headed back to the resort. It was full day and it was awesome.

We were taken snorkeling in this boat. The sun was blazing and the water was blue!

These are the Piton Mountains. I shared a picture of Leo and me with this backdrop here for a scavenger hunt. But here you can really appreciate the view.

The water was stinky, hot and black. The water was mixed with stuff from the volcano (I wasn't paying attention). We bathed in the water and I swear I felt like I was going to boil.

We took a short break to get a cute picture of us.

This is right by the souvenir shops on the side of the active volcano. Seems a little dangerous but no one was worried.

The next day we took a short hike up a little mountain. I had a great time but these things are not Leo's cup of tea.

But it was AJ's cup of tea. He was climbing on everything. He was in his element. The higher he could go the better.

There are very few pics just of me and while this is not the greatest, it will do.

And did I mention that Leo doesn't like to hike, well his face says it all. But he was a good sport and did not complain once.

And lastly another one of my BFF and her hubby.

This was last full day in St. Lucia. We had a great vacation but couldn't wait to get home to see Nicolas. We decided the next beach vacation will be with Nic. He would have a blast at the beach.

To see more pics from my vacation click here. I hope you have enjoyed them.

Later!
N@

Planes and Pizza

The week started by Leo leaving on Sunday for a business trip. Lucky me, Nicolas came down with a mini-virus that night. He fought his sleep, stayed up past his bedtime, cried for 10 minutes, and finally fell asleep. The next day he was still not 100%, fought bedtime again, and didn't go to sleep until 9:30pm. 4 hours later he was screaming at the top of his lungs "mami" it broke my heart. I brought him back to bed with me after 1.5 of struggling to get him back to sleep. He never fell back into deep sleep and tossed and turned until 5:30am and was up for the day. I took off Wednesday to make sure he was ok. By this time of the week I was EXHAUSTED.

Lets fast forward to today. He was a happy camper this morning, I picked him up at daycare a little past 5:oopm. We went to the airport's observation deck to watch airplanes. Instead he played in the playground and maybe glanced at the runway and say one airplane take off. I sat there and watched him play and have fun. At around 6pm I ordered some pizza and we came home had dinner and watched Dora. He was signing along with Dora, asking for more pizza, was just happy as could be. We played outside, came back in, I bathed him and got him ready to go to bed.

The best part was putting on his pj. He was cracking up because I was tickling his feet. It was that contagious giggle/laugh. I could not help but indulge him with more tickling. He giggled and laughed for a good 10 minutes. And just like that I couldn't remember the crappy first part of the week. I didn't miss Leo for those minutes, it was just Nicolas and me. I read him 4 books, sang him his bedtime lullaby and put him in his crib and he drifted off to sleep.

I miss Leo terribly and can't wait for him to be back but if all days were like these I think I could deal without him (at least temporarily). Some days being a mother is so un-rewarding but then there are days like today. Nothing too crazy, just the simple things: the happy giggles, the glass of wine, downtime in from of a computer, editing pictures, soft music playing in the background.

And what is a post without pictures. Here are some of tonight.

Hanging out in the sand...happy as a clam.

Two kids came to the playground and he was observing and trying to get their attention.

This is a picture of the observation deck. I'm going to have to come back without Nicolas as the sun is setting. I can just imagine what kind of shots I could get.

Have a great weekend!
N@

TMMAPC-Pets

You don't have to twist my arms to showcase the most beautiful mutt you will ever see. Her name is Pebbles and she is the sweetest, most hyper, jumpiest dog you will ever meet. She is almost 6 years old and acts like a one year puppy. Here are just a few of her...

I have shared this picture a bunch, but it is my favorite of Pebbles and Nicolas. This is Nicolas at 5 months! How time flies.

This is a horrible shot but I was feeling sick and exhausted so I let Pebbles lay down with me as Nicolas was watching some TV. Leo got my camera and took this picture. On most weekends I will nap when Nicolas is napping and you can find me and Pebbles napping together.

Here you can start seeing she is getting old, her gray mouth.

And this is my "official" entry. One of Nicolas' first words was Pebbles and one of the first words he utters every morning is Pebbles. They are like "peas and carrots." Usually they are driving each other nuts but this time he was just holding her hand. They make me smile and laugh on a daily basis.

To see more great entries click below.

Have a great weekend!
N@

August 2010 Photo Scavenger Hunt

I tried really hard to have the sheet w/ the 20 themes on me at all times, but I always seemed to lose it. I must have printed 4-5 times and I still can't find a copy, I had to cheat off one of my buddies (Ashley and Jenny).

Here are my entries...

Flag

This flag does not represent me but it represents one of the countries I have had the pleasure to visit. I love the Caribbean lifestyle, carefree and happy.

Comfortable

On our anniversary trip, this was the bed in our resort. It was so comfortable and the best part, no alarm.

Something in Season

This is an archive from my July photo walk. Tomatoes and potatoes were and still are in season.

Feet

We put up our feet and relaxed watching the waves from our lawn chairs.

Repetition

I was looking for something to photograph when I came across these 4 leaves. I loved the lines and the symmetry.

Culture or Ethnicity

We took a tour of St. Lucia and we were served real St. Lucian cuisine. I think you don't know the country or the culture unless you eat what the locals eat.

Contrast

I used this sunset as contrast because I love the light as it hits the water and how the sand and shore are in the shadows.

Indulgence

Upon our arrival in St. Lucia, we were greeted with this plate of yummy chocolate covered fruit. True indulgence.

Macro or Close up

This is another shot I took on my walk around the resort. I love how delicate the flower looks against the green background.

Masculine

This another archive, taken in July at the photowalk. Steel is just masculine. And it also reminds me of the Steelers now that it is almost football season.

Feminine

Bathing suits. I was looking for a bathing suit right before the trip. And this day I found one.

Light

The sunsets were amazing in St. Lucia. This is one of my favorites because it is as if the light didn't want to burn out.

Eco-friendly

This is our recycle bin. I try to recycle everything that can be recycled. Hubby is not so diligent.

Business

This is Leo about to go on a business trip. It was sad to see him go but he will be home soon.

Arrow

I was walking around downtown Raleigh looking for arrows. I spotted this left turning arrow and took a picture. When I looked closer I noticed I didn't only get one arrow but 9. Can you find them all.

Something wet

Nicolas and Leo were having a blast at the pool. This is Leo trying to teach Nicolas how to swim.

Something Dry

I went traveling the state observing the corn crop. It has been a dry summer and the corn was looking dry waiting for rain.

Butterfly

This was also taken during field travel. This beautiful huge butterfly decided to sit pretty and pose for me. It was heaven.

Heart-shaped cloud

So in the literal sense, doesn't this look like a real human heart with the sun rays as veins? No, then look on the right hand side, there is a half a heart. Still don't see it. Then just imagine it. ;)

Strength

And lastly, this is a picture of my BFF and her hubby. We finished hiking a small mountain. Here pose is just perfect for this theme.

And that is all folks. I don't think I would have been able to get all these pictures if it weren't for my vacation.

I hope you have enjoyed them. To see more entries go here.

Happy Clicking....

N@