Vacation (Part 3) -the last one...I promise!

On our last full day in Keystone, we had the day to ourselves. Lisa and Caleb went on a hike, but since I was STILL not used to the elevation changes after four days, we opted for something a little less strenuous - Horse back riding! :) Seriously, though, the elevation was making me do some weird things. All week long, I felt bloated & puffy. I had nosebleeds and this may be WAY too much information but everytime I ate it messed my stomach up. I also had a really bad headache the first two days we were there. I found out later that if you ever go to the mountains, like we did, you are suppossed to allow yourself at least 24 hours in Denver (which is at a lower elevation) to allow your body to adjust slowly to the change in elevation. I guess we'll no better next time!

But the elevation couldn't stop up from our trail ride! Here we are on our horses: Buie's horse's name is Pythagoras or Py for short. He was big and strong just like Buie! :) My horse's name was Lucas and Lucas and I bonded because well, he is a snacker too. Everytime we slowed down enough or passed by a bright green patch of grass, Lucas slowly creeped over to the grass to snack. We weren't supposed to let them snack on the trail ride (not sure why) but just between you and me, I let him have a few bites here and there. Lucas was so obedient (besides the snacking). He went left when I pulled left and stopped when I pulled up. I think he probably could have walked that trail with his eyes closed.

This was apparently Buie's first time EVER to be on a horse! I had a hard time believing him because he was such a natural. He just swung his leg over the top of the horse and he was up, like he had mounted a thousand times!

When we came to our first steep hill, I was like "Oh my!" But our horses handled it like pros. To help them out, our guides told us to lean forward to help shift the weight forward - like Buie is doing here in this picture.

Made it up the first steep incline! Good job baby!

Over the river... No problem!

We managed to hand off the camera (without dropping it) so Buie could get a pic of me on Lucas! We had such a great time on our trail ride!

I think the only time I got even a little bit nervous was when Lucas would walk SO CLOSE to the cliffs. This cliff is not even a big drop off. He would walk right next to the edge of the cliff - SCARY!

I think the funniest part of the whole ride was when Lucas bit Py in the butt and then Py reared back and kicked Lucas in the chest. I told you he was a snacker! hehe. He got a little hungry and thought the bootie looked yummy, I guess.

Here we are at the end of our ride. The whole trail ride was almost 2 hours. It went up the mountains and back down, so there were some pretty steep inclines and declines we had to navigate but it was fun! The coolest part to me was that part of the trail was where the ski lifts were. They weren't in use though when we went. The lifts had just closed down for the season.
Can you see the ski lifts in this pic below?

Read part 1 and part 2 of our vacation.

Vacation (Part 2)

So, in our vacation, part 1, you heard all about the gorgeous golf courses and our amazing spa day. Jealous yet!? Well, there were PLENTY more marvelous golf scenes to capture but don't think that Lisa and I spent ALL of our vacation indoors in a spa. Heck no! As I told you before, the wives, Lisa and I, share a love for photography and the great outdoors. It is no surprise that Colorado is a outdoorsman's (or woman's) paradise, but Colorado is also a photographer's haven! We had so much fun just simply sightseeing and taking in all the beauty that the state had to offer.

Lisa wanted to go down the road to the base of the mountain at Keystone and we were SHOCKED to see that the ski lifts were still open so of course we bought a foot pass and headed on up! Remember we are from Arkansas and Texas so even the fact that there was still snow on the ground was cool to us...but the fact that people were snowboarding and skiing on June 7th was almost beyond belief! The fact that the day we picked to go to the base was the same day it was closing was just luck - it was like a big party! So fun! There were all kinds of people out skiing and snowboarding there that day and of course we took pics of the *really* special ones (like this guy in a Superman costume) On the slopes that day, we saw Batman, Spiderman, Superman, a Hotdog and numerous guys skiing in three piece suits and girls in bikinis.

We weren't exactly prepared for skiing. I was wearing linen pants and flip flops. I mean, after all the weather was a PERFECT 72 degrees! But it didn't matter to us, we hoped right on and started taking pics! It was GORGEOUS!

Another day we went down to a nearby marina and got some great shots:

Stay tuned for shots from our trail ride!

Martha's Favorite

Before I continue expounding on our vacation, I must take a minute to brag on our baby, Conner. A few months ago, I entered Conner in a Pet Photos contest on Martha Stewart's website. It was under the category, 'snow angels.' I picked one of our all-time favorite shots of Conner - it was his first time ever to see snow. I remember him going outside and just sitting and staring at the sky. It was too cute and of course, I snapped a pic!

When I got an email from MarthaStewart.com about their all-time favorite pet picks from the YEAR, you can imagine how THRILLED I was to find that Conner was one of the top 59 in the world! Yup, he was number 11 in their favorite pet picks. They picked their favorite photos from all of the contests in the past and put just their favs in one spot. Go here to see Conner on Martha's website!

Here's the photo they liked so much! :)

Vacation! (Part 1)

We're baaaack! After a MUCH needed vacation, Buie and I are finally home, though NOT quite caught up on sleep yet.
Last Thursday after work, we boarded a plane to Denver International airport and arrived just two hours later - thank you Wright Brothers! We then hopped in our rental car and drove about 2 more hours to Keystone Resort to meet up with another couple who arrived a few hours earlier. Caleb and Lisa shared a condo with us for the long weekend. Caleb is one of Buie's best friends from college and married Lisa about 8 years ago. Buie was happy to find out that Lisa and I have a lot in common and share a love for photography, traveling, design and anything creative! Lisa and I quickly found out that we also share a love of spas! :) Our first full day in Keystone kicked off quickly as the boys headed over to the golf course for 36 holes and the ladies went to a full day of pampering at our very own spa day! Lisa and I kept saying, "The decadence is calling!" (If any of your girls have seen Sex and the City 2, then you understand what I am talking about.) I'm a dork so I actually googled the word "decadence" and it means 'a luxurious self-indulgence.' And that is exactly what it was. We were lavished with a hot stone massage, a fitness facial, manicure and pedicure. This was part of my Christmas present from my WONDERFUL husband! And it was worth every penny! :)

While we were relaxing and enjoying the 'self-indulgence', our boys were enjoying the AMAZING views on the golf courses. And the word AMAZING does not even begin to describe the views. INCREDIBLE. UNBELIEVABLE. MAGNIFICENT. Check out some of my favorite shots...

The courses were so beautiful, the guys said we just HAD to come along with them the next day to take pics. So, of course, who could say no to beautiful mountains, blue skies, a brand new wide angle and getting to hang out with our husbands.

So Lisa and I tagged along the next day in our own cart and had the best time! Of course, not too much fun - we had to remember the golf rules and be quiet when others were teeing off, etc. But for the most part, we were well behaved. ;)

Wish List

About this time every year, I start thinking about birthdays and growing older. Recently I was having dinner with a childhood friend for her birthday. When I said, "Happy 28th birthday!" to her, I realized - Man, 28 sounds old, but then I thought that's okay because I'll always be younger than her. hehe. But then it hit me! - I'll be 27! TWENTY SEVEN! It seriously hit me like a ton of bricks. For some reason, I had been thinking all year long I was 25. Somewhere, somehow, I completely skipped my 26th birthday and not on purpose, although I have heard of people doing that. So as tough as it is to admit this, I'll be 27 next month. Geez, that sounds old. But I am every bit of that 27. I go to bed at 9:30pm. I wear cotton over-sized non flattering pajamas. I take (on average) 37 pills a day. I am old.

So, for my "I am officially old" birthday, here is my wish list:

an Otterbox for my iPhone because in my old age, apparently coordination is the first to go. I have dropped my iPhone about 15 times and it's still kicking. new Toms summer shoes (size 9.5) Aren't they adorable? I'll take one in every color. :)

Williams Sonoma recipe binder

UNO DVD

Now, we all know birthdays aren't about getting presents but it never hurts, right? ;)

I LOVE Lucy!

I love Lucy! And this past Sunday afternoon, as HOT as it was, friends and family gathered at a local park to celebrate Lucy's third birthday with monsters, cake, semi-melted icecream, princess dress up clothes, and plenty of sand for all!

I feel like Lucy is my little niece and you may be thinking she that she might even be my child by the amount of pictures, however she is in no way related to me. But I DO love Lucy all the same! You see, I am best friends with Lucy's aunt, Andrea, who introduced me to Lucy's mother, Christen, who is also a photographer & took pictures at our wedding, then quickly become a great friend, then became my business partner and then we started this little business called Studio2B...and the rest is history. So in a round about way, yes, Lucy and her sister, Olive, are my little nieces or at least in my mind they are. So just bare with me and allow me to share with you the cutest little girl in the entire world. Lucy.

Love that smile!

The Buies gave her this "Fancy Nancy" baby doll complete with matching gloves and shoes. We also gave her a Fancy Nancy tiara, sticker book and reading book. Lucy loves all things girly - shoes, gloves, and PINK! :)

Daddy, Ryan, had a little too much fun with Lucy's new dress-up clothes. :)

Lucy's little sister, Olive, had a blast hanging out on the monkey bars. She reminds me of a little monkey! So cute!

Buie had to say good-bye to his fury friend, Captain Jack, before we left. He's worse than I am!

Me and Buie were sweating so much but glad we were able to be a part of Lucy's special day!

Babies are popping out of the woodworks!

Seriously, people! Stop making babies! No, really! Stop it! I'm going broke buying baby gifts! Actually I don't really mind the baby gifts that much as long as you let me take pictures of your babies. You don't even have to pay me. I just like taking pictures of babies and with all of these showers I've been attending I have a feeling I will be taking LOTS of baby pictures this fall. :)
This past Saturday I helped to host a baby shower for my dear friend Jessica D. (And yes, it is necessary to specify the "D." I have many friends named Jessica. It was a popular name in the early 80's.) Anyway, I hosted the shower with the lovely ladies in the picture above, half of whom are pregnant. I am not one of them, even though I may have fooled you in the picture. I am never wearing that shirt again, by the way.

I have known Jessica since we plegdged together in the same Sorority in college but didn't become really close until we lived together after college with the two lovely ladies above. Those were good times. :) All three of us share a love of cats and each owned (at least) one while we lived together. haha.

These three lovely ladies are all in the same pledge class as me and as you can see are all expecting. Stefan, the one in the middle, went into labor on Sunday, the day after the shower and had a beautiful baby girl yesterday! :)

Jessica and I share the same birthday (July 19th) and her little man, Dean Oliver, is due around the same time. I am crossing my fingers that he will be born on our birthday. Congrats to Scott and Jessie!~ Can't wait to meet him!

Fibromyalgia Awareness

Today is May 12th. For many of you it is just another ordinary day. Many years ago, for me, it was, as well. Until about four years ago, I had never heard about Fibromyalgia until a doctor diagnosed me with it along with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. These two illnesses usually go hand in hand, but what are they and how do they affect you?

Today is May 12th. Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. I write about Fibromyalgia not for any other reason other than that - awareness. Perhaps you are struggling with many of the same things I struggled with for years and don't have a clue what's "wrong" with you. Do any of these symptoms sound familiar? Pain, unrelenting fatigue, memory & concentration issues, sleep disorders, exercise difficulties, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic headaches, & even migraines, jaw pain, aggravating factors such as PMS, weather, stress, etc. If you have most or ALL all these symptoms on a regular basis you might want to talk to your doctor about treatment. I was and still am dealing with every single one of these symptoms on a daily basis. You may think - HOW in the world? I have learned coping treatments and I have learned how to make my life as stress free as possible. Stress makes Fibro worse.

Things that I have learned to enjoy and embrace with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:
walking (as oppossed to running which is hard on your joints)
hot baths
massages
sleep
saying no
the occasional muscle relaxer (when the day gets the best of me) :)

Do you have Fibromyalgia or know someone who does? How do you/they deal with the symptoms?

April Tornados Bring Baby Showers...or something like that...

The past two weeks have been crazy at the Buie household. From dodging tornados to painting extra rooms and planning baby showers there is never a dull moment. This past weekend was no exception, especially since it was a holiday - Mother's Day! Happy Mother's Day to all you Mothers out there or soon to be Mothers. It seems that everyone is pregnant right now doesn't it? I currently have about four close friends that are expecting and know of about five or six other people that are "friends of friends" that are due sometime soon as well. Something's in the water! :)

On Saturday morning, me and my friend, Alicia, threw a baby shower for my sister in law, Nicole, who is due with the first baby in the family - Landon Andrew Walker - on July 4th. We are soooo excited I can hardly stand it! We thought it was appropriate to throw the shower on Mother's Day weekend since this is Nicole's first Mother's Day AND both of our mothers (Landon's grandmothers) were able to come up for the shower. My family are HUGE Dallas Cowboy fans and Craig, my brother, wanted a Dallas Cowboy themed nursery if the baby was a boy. Well, Nicole has taken his request and made the nursery the cutest Dallas Cowboy themed nursery possible. It is straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog with just a few Dallas themed accents like this cute frame designed by Christen Byrd. Check out her work over at BabyByrds.

I can't wait til I can fill this blog with pictures of little babies! :)

Alicia's head shots

Head on over to Cara Beth photography to see more of my gorgeous friend, Alicia, and some of the shots I took of her this past week. And while you're at it, you should become a follower of Cara Beth Photography. :)