Pete and Repeat

A few more photos from Spain... notice the pattern here? I love repeating patterns in my photos!

(Alcazar, Almeria, Spain)

(Aqueducts, Segovia, Spain)

(Palacio de Carlos V, Alhambra, Granada, Spain)

(Alcazar of Segovia, Spain)

Okay, so not a repeating pattern... but still pretty!

I'm not feeling very talkative (write-ative?) today, so I thought I'd just put up some pretty photos. These are some I took while in Spain for Sara and John's wedding (look here, here, and here) and hadn't posted on the blog. So enjoy the prettiness today!  (oh, how I would go back to Europe in a heartbeat!)

 Garden at the Alcazaba in Almeria

Aqueducts in Segovia

The tiny streets of Madrid!

Someday, I want a window like this....

In the Alhambra, Granada, Spain

Almeria, Spain

Mojacar, Spain (yes, it's on a hill....)

Busy....

Pack clothes
Remember food/toys for the girls
Pick up hair gel
Get gas
Stop at bank
Dinner with Wendy

This week has been busy, and the rest of it isn't going to get any slower (the list above is the yet to do list, and that isn't even all of it!). Jared and I are headed to Pennsylvania on Saturday for a week of hanging with the family, catching up with old friends (old as in have been friends forever, not as in havng lived forever!), and spoiling our newest niece and nephew. We're back on Sunday, then I'm driving up to Georgia for a few days with one of my bestest friends, hanging with her at the American Eventing Championships (at which she and a few of her girls are competing) and photographing their rides (can't tell you how excited I am for some awesome eventing!!). So to say that I'm a bit stressed at getting everything ready to leave, and making all of the time schedules work is probably a tad of an understatement. But it will all get done. And we will have a good time. Now, off to finish up work for the day (yes, I'm on my lunch break), stop at the store, the bank, and the gym before I get home and start to pack...

What I am looking forward to the most this trip... nothing like good baby snuggles! (Photo courtesty of my dad, since I obviously haven't been there to meet them yet!)

Saint Theresa

Saint Theresa's Prayer

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be confident knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.



This prayer was part of an email I received today and it really struck me as being so right for my life right now, as being exactly what I need to hear. This summer has been one of upheavals and changes, and sometimes I feel like my life has taken a trip through the rabbit hole and flipped upside down.  So today I'm taking a deep breath, saying a good prayer, and knowing that I am where I am for a reason. His reason.

Baha-ing in Arizona

I'm in Arizona right now... and it's hot, the kind of hot that sucks every little bit of moisture out of you. I'm out here for work, for a conference this week whose managers were kind enough to give us an entire morning off today. There were a few options for organized activities, but when I looked online at the hotel earlier, I saw that they offered horseback riding/trail rides at sunrise and sunset... umm, yes please!  Sooo, this morning I got up early and headed over to MTM Ranch in Cave Creek. Patty (the owner and my wonderful guide) was great! After she found out that I ride, we chatted like old friends about this horse and that. She took me on an hour and a half ride through the mountainous desert that borders the Tonto National Forest. The weather was actually great -- cooler than it had been and just the right amount of clouds in the sky. I have a few photos -- just from my little old point and shoot, so forgive me if they're a bit grainy or blurry (no amount of anti-shake can help from the back of a horse!!). I'd love to go back, but I'm not sure if my schedule for the rest of the week will allow it (back to the real world, I guess!). But hey, if you're ever out near Cave Creek, Az, MTM is the place to go!

There were cacti everywhere (I know, I know...desert and all of that).

More cacti and scrub brush.

We even saw a few mule deer!

Nothing like some amazing scenery.

"Champion" was my ride, and such a sweet boy! And yes, I know, the hat is hot. ;) That's what happens when you forget a ball cap and are going on a ride with Patty -- you get a Chinese coolie.

Can you beat that view?? Even Champion likes it. :) (Note: Patty took this and as she was telling me where to stand she said "Stand between those two cacti, but whatever you do, do NOT back him into that bushy one behind you -- he'll come un-done!")

Team Lost arrives in Madrid

I may have mentioned this before, but in case you didn’t catch it, I left for Spain Sunday evening! I haven’t done a lot of travelling, and certainly have not been overseas – Toronto has been the extent of my international travel. So last year, when Sara and John decided to hold their wedding in Spain and asked me to be their photographer, I jumped at the opportunity to spend a week or so in this amazing country. I really had no idea what to expect, and my emotions this past week preparing to leave have been a mixture of excitement and anxiety. I don’t speak Spanish at all, but can make out some of the written words (but we do have a Spanish phrase book – no worries there!). Luckily, Jared can understand some Spanish but Sara can speak the language and has been great at translating for us, (dumb) Americans.

So we flew out of the Miami airport on Sunday evening, taking the red-eye to London’s Heathrow Airport. One meal, one (free!) glass of wine, a movie, and a bit of restless sleep and we were in London. We sprinted to our next flight and made it to the gate just as they were boarding our flight to Madrid. Two hours later, we were in Spain! After finding our hotel, we spent the afternoon wandering around the city. We visited Plaza del Sol and Plaza Mayor, where we met up with John’s brother and had lunch. Did I mention that lunch here is late (2-3pm), followed by siesta (everything closes until 5pm or so) and that dinner isn’t until 9pm? Not to mention that the sun stays up until at least 9:30-10pm, making it feel so much earlier in the day.

We wandered around some more, briefly visiting the Palace and finally making our way through the back streets of Madrid (meat markets, fish markets, and random small stores) to the Riena Sophia art museum. We rested a bit in the square, people watching (one of my favorite things to do!) It seemed as if every child had a soccer ball, and this seemed like a place for families to congregate in the evening to socialize while their children play. The museum was beautiful and had work by Dali and Picasso, including Picasso's Guernica. After struggling a bit (and naming ourselves Team Lost) we managed to find the bus stop to take us back to the hotel. We grabbed a quick dinner and crashed, tired from a long day of walking and travelling and jet lag.

Some quick photos from Madrid (more to come, I promise!):

Part of Plaza Mayor

Awesome shot by Jared, looking out of the plaza into one of the small streets, taken from the cafe where we had lunch.

This was a small bookstore on one of the small side streets. LOVE it!

And one last shot:

The view from where I wrote this blog post. Don't hate, but that's the Mediterranean out there... If it was clear, we'd be able to see Africa.