Signs of Spring

The tree is beginning to blossom in the front of our house. It's rather lovely. I love these little flowers. So fresh and pretty. It makes me think that Spring is coming! We haven't had a very harsh winter or anything but still, there's something so cheerful about Spring.

And after spring comes summer. I'm ready for that. This white girl needs some sun on her skin. And when I say white, I mean WHITE. It's not pretty.

Bring it on.

Doors and Windows

What do you think of when you see a doorway or window? To me, it signifies opportunities and something new. It's entering into a new a different place. It's looking through and seeing something you love or want to love. They say so much. Endless possibilities.

There's a photographer who has an entire book of nothing but entryways and windows. It's so unique and wonderful. I'm going to own it one day.

When I saw this iron gate in Santa Barbara I had to have a picture.

Happy Tuesday!

Santa Barbara

I've been horrible about blogging this past week. I would say that I've just been too busy but really I've just been at Panera reading. And I've loved it. But I will be better this next week. Promise.

Oh another thing that kept me busy....Santa Barbara. Yeah that's right.

These are just a few of the pictures I took.

Seriously is there any place more beautiful than SB??

The Bestest Best Friend

The Fabulous Kim

Delicious food. Ashlei's turkey burger and a little bit of my roasted mushroom flatbread.

nom nom nom nom nom

This was a really last minute quick trip and it was wonderful! I'm ready to go back.

Oh and you'll be shocked(NOT) to know that the only things I got on this little trip were BOOKS. And I'm quite pleased. Chaucer's Books man. mmmm.

Anyways, it was amazing. Thank you Kim and Ashlei! <3

Rule of thirds

This photo was another option for one of my photo project pictures but the one with Ashlei ended up winning out.

I really like this photo though. The sky makes me happy. Using the rule of thirds definitely makes for some interesting pictures. =)

Photo Project

I just sent off a photo project on Monday and this was my third photo.

The guidelines were to frame your subject so that it would draw the eye.

I had a lot of fun with this photo even if it was kind of last minute. =)

It's two of my very favorite things! Antique books and tea!!

My collection of vintage books is definitely increasing and it makes my heart happy.

Trains, police officers, and my bff

Yesterday was pretty awesome. Church was amazing. I loved the sermon. I loved our Sunday school class. It was all great.

After church, Ashlei and I went and got Subway and talked about what we wanted to do next. We decided to go out to the railroad tracks and take the pictures for my photography project. It was the perfect setting and Ashlei was amazing for letting me use her as much subject. She was perfect for it. And she dressed for it too!

This is one of the many photos I took that day.

She's looks great right?

And the train? Love it.

Funny story about this day though is that the whole time we were out there we were joking about how it was probably illegal to be climbing around on the train and that we were going to be arrested. haha

Well low and behold, I look over to where our cars were parked and I see flashing lights. Uh oh. So we're probably about a quarter mile away from our cars and we run all the way back! We're freaking out that we're gonna get tickets(and with my record I really can't have that happen). We arrive at our cars out of breathe and hearts racing. The officer is waiting for us and He automatically asks us if we're Lydia and Ashlei.

Great, he knows our names. Then he says that he was about ready to call George(my dad) and Jeffrey(Ashlei's dad). What in the world??

Well as it turns out, apparently you can't just "abandon" your cars on the side of the road. That was definitely not our intention but that's how he viewed it. So he talked to us about it for awhile and that's about all it amounted to. But wow, we got freaked out. haha. It took us awhile to calm down.

So yes a very eventful day, but it was wonderful. And I got some amazing pictures.

I'm waiting for Ashlei t blog about this as well. She'll be able to tell it better. =)

Have a great night. xoxox

Windy Days

Yesterday was a crazy windy day. Like dust storms, tumble weeds everywhere kind of windy.

And I kind of loved it(well I could have done without the dust).

I had every intention of going out and taking photographs for my photo project that morning nut alas the wind almost made it impossible. You know what I did instead? I went to Panera and read an entire book in four and a half hours. It was wonderful. So relaxing. I needed it.

By the time it hit 4:30 I was ready to head home. But as I was getting into my car I realized how calm it suddenly was and how absolutely delicious the light was. Back to taking pictures I went.

These are just a couple of the pictures I took. I'm not going to lie to you, I kind of love them. They make me feel peaceful for some reason.

Seriously, the light!!!

I had an absolutely lovely Sunday today where I once again got to take a lot of pictures. I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot of them over the next few days. And these pictures come with a funny story, so stay tuned. =)
I hope all of you had a most lovely Sunday as well.

Books, man. That's where it's at.

Books. I LOVE books. If I'm at a store that has even the smallest shelf of books, the chances are, I'm coming home with a book(or two or three).

Starting this year I made it a goal to read lots and lots of books. I didn't really put a number on it, but yeah, A LOT.

Lately I'll just go to Panera with the bff and sit and read. It's amazing.

Just yesterday I went to the book sale at my library and oh. my. goodness. I was giddy with joy. That's my kind of event. I found a Dumas from 1894. 1894!!!!! I'm happy.

I can lose myself in a book so easily. It's probably my favorite pastime.

These pictures are all the books that Ashlei, Talia, and myself got at the book sale yesterday. Crazy right???

Playing with the exposure.

Like I said....Books, man. It's where it's at. Get on the train.

P.S. I went to Barnes and Noble tonight and yeah I bought two more books. It might actually become a problem.

Happiness is....

a candle apparently. I can't say I deny it. This candle smells AMAZING.

But really happiness is the little things. It's knowing that I have a family that loves me. It's the best friend that is always ready to just sit and read and have coffee with you. It's the phone calls from your daddy or the hilarious texts from your mom. It's a warm cup of tea and a good book in the glow of a candle. It's finding joy in every part of your life.

And mostly, happiness is the comfort of my God and Savior. In my devotions today I came across this verse:

"Never will I leave you;

never will I forsake you."

So we say with confidence,

"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me?" - Hebrews 13:5,6

How amazing is that? He will NEVER leave us or forsake us. If you can't find joy and happiness in that, I don't know where you can find it.

I'll leave you with just another quick photo.

New Color!

It's a happy day when I have a new color of nail polish. This one is especially awesome. It's called Studs and Stilettos and I love love love this natural looking brown.

I also bought another one that's called Leaf Him at the Altar.....clever right?? haha.

I hope you all had a lovely Tuesday. xoxox

Smiling Faces

These are my nieces. They love to smile and giggle. They're wild and crazy and sometimes a little "odd" as they would say. Their imaginations are fantastic. They play in the dirt(note how much of it is on their faces). They have endless amounts of energy. They are the sweetest. And I love them. Ever so much. They're my babies.

Oh Emma and Annabelle.....love you two. Look at those baby blues.

And we of course can't forget about Miss Rosalie. My Rumble. She and I have a love hate relationship. haha. She's a little too much like me I think. This girl has a special place in my heart. Look at that face.

Let the trees sing for joy

If there's something I love more than twinkle lights, it's trees.

They're like old friends.

It's so amazing to me that they change with every season and with every season comes a different kind of beauty.

I love photographing trees in the winter time. There's something so majestic about that.

The sky and the light was perfect for picture taking today.

God's creation is an ever changing wonder. I stand in awe.

OK, so I'm in love with twinkle lights.

I don''t know what it is about them. They make me happy. So simple and pretty. They make everything seem a little more magical.

2011 Favorites!

Today I'm going to take a break from the daily photo and instead play a tagging game!
The favorites of 2011!
Let's get to it.


1.What was your favorite Movie in 2011?
This is hard! hmmm favorite movie...I don't want to just copy you, Ashlei, but really Warrior is the movie that sticks out in my mind. I was so moved by it. I haven't been that effected by a movie in a very long time. And this might be lame, but I've got to throw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II out there. I loved it.

2.Favorite Book?
The first book that came to my mind was A Monsters Call by Patrick Ness. That book was so unusual and intriguing. Not to mention the illustrations were amazing!

3.Favorite Song/Album?
Mcfly is definitely in the forefront here. I bought two of their albums this year and they're some of my favorites! I never get tired of hearing them. Falling In Love on their Radioactive album has a special place in my heart though.

4.Favorite Trip/Vacation?
Yeah I'm gonna have to cheat on this one too. San Francisco definitely stands out in my mind. It was beeyoutiful! The Colorado trip in March was probably the most special because my sister got married! And I'm gonna count my moving to California as a trip and let's be real that was awesome! Also one word, DISNEYLAND.

5. Favorite Food/Snack?
Peanut butter on toast.

6.Favorite Beverage?
I probably drink coffee more than anything...because I love it. But also, black tea. It's pretty much apart of my diet. haha. As far as adult bevarages....margaritas and champagne. I think it's a pretty well known fact that I have an obsession with champagne. Gotta love the bubbly.

7.Favorite TVshow?
There are a few actually. I loved watching Franklin and Bash over the summer. Those boys were definitely endeared to me. I love Rizzoli and Isles, Burn Notice, and Prime Suspect. And yes Psych for me too! So many good ones. Sorry I cheated again.

8.Favorite Hangout?
Um yeah, my house. Ashlei's house. Panera was kind of a new favorite this past year.

9.Favorite Event?
Can I count the Disneyland firework show as an event? Because if i can that's totally it. Complete magic. I cried.

10.Finally!!! Favorite random thing?!?!
hmm one of my favorite random things has got to be my Tigger stuffed animal. I love him to pieces. Also my zipper boots. I feel great with them on.

Alright there you go! I don't really have anyone to tag so I guess that's it!

The little beautiful things

The light outside right now is stunning. It's the perfect lighting for picture taking. The sunlight makes everything seem dazzling and magical when other times it might just look ordinary. I love the way things are transformed when they're touched by a setting sun.

I was just walking around the backyard with my camera when I spotted this lone berry in a forest of thorns. For some reason I was kind of drawn to. It's beautiful, even if it is small and maybe rather unnoticeable. And like I said, the light helps.

I wanted to add this next picture as well even if it is a little interesting. That small table and the sunlight just seem so magical to me. The sun looks like twinkle lights. It's the little things that make me happy. We can find beauty anywhere if we're looking for it.

Just a couple examples of the richness of His beauty.

P.S. It's my Taly Aly Umpkin's birthday today! Happiest of birthday's to you, darling!! Loveth thou muchly.

My kind of night

Any night that involves a cup of tea and a good book is going to be a good night to me.

Is there anything more comforting then holding a warm mug in your hands and reading a story that takes you to another place? I really don't think there is. It's something so familiar and wonderful to me. I'll never get tired of it.

I would also like to add that this post is rather filled with Ashlei. She bought me that lovely mug and the book is also borrowed from her. So bff, thanks for making my evening great. =)

Happy Birthday, Emma

Today is Miss Emma Joy's birthday!

This pretty girl is now 8 years old.

I can't believe how fast the years have flown by. I remember holding her at the hospital the day she was born. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago!

Here's her pretty, smiling face for all of you to see.

A day at the park

It has been a lovely Sunday so far. Church was wonderful and Ashlei and I were able to teach Sunday school again, which is always so much fun!

After church we headed to the park to celebrate Emma's 8th birthday! We all had alot of fun sitting around on blankets and watching the kids run around.

I snapped this picture of Jason and it turned out so cute I decided to use it has my daily photo!

Have a wonderful rest of the day! <3

Hello and welcome!

I want this blog to be an encouragement to me to really work on my photography and to glorify God while I do it.

I want to capture "The Richness of His Beauty" in each of my photographs.

So my intention is to post a daily photograph!

I'm excited about this and I hope I have the motivation to stick to it. =)

Without further ado, my first photograph