key club

day seventeen:


i don't really have an explanation for this shot. just saw the keys hanging by the door and figured, "why not".

thanks mom and dad

day sixteen:


this picture is of my church. i have been going to this church since i was two years old. i was married in this church. 


the most important thing i learned from my parents, is that church is a priority... and now, being a part of a community of believers is still a priority in my life. how's the saying go... teach your children when they are young and when they are old they'll keep doing what you taught them... or something like that.


also, i didn't edit this photo. i liked the original.

itsy bitsy

day fifteen:

getting ready for bed. all i had to do is take a picture and post then i was going to sleep. and then it happened... at the top of the stairs there was a giant spider. the hairy kind. so i did what any normal person would do. i took a picture of him for my blog and then i squished him with a shoe. 

there's no place like home

day fourteen:


when i was a kid, i had a pair of red patent leather shoes. they were my favorite. funny that some things you outgrow, and other things you take with you into adulthood. today's picture is of my favorite shoes.


and if you are wondering about my boots... of course those are my favorite! but those are boots not shoes ;) and funny thing about my boots, i remember lllloving boots as a child as well.

ciao!

day thirteen:

i chose this picture for a few reasons... one: it's super cute. two: switzer is the bomb :)


do people still say that? cause they totally should. 


hahaha. happy birthday little switz!

tea time

day twelve:

i did a "photo shoot" of an event today. a friend of mine just became a party/wedding planner and event coordinator, and she wanted some shots of her first event... a ladies tea party. this day was great practice for me, so i was happy to do it. 

these photos are of the food that was served. and let me tell you, it tasted better than it looks... which is pretty amazing.

my baby

day eleven:

i have always been a dog person. and griffey is the best dog. there is never a dull moment at our house when she is awake. griffey seems to thrive off of getting into mischief. today's picture is one of the daily battles. it takes place at the half-wall between the kitchen and the living room. 

so long sweet summer

day ten:


i have always felt that the seasons represent life perfectly. we live in one giant metaphor. it's crazy. well, it is to me anyway.


well, today is the first day of fall. outside the leaves have already started to change, everything is dying and yet it is so beautiful. the idea that death can be beautiful amazes me.

so my photos are to celebrate the changing of the season. to celebrate the beauty of life and death.

frontline

day nine: 

today was a looong day... as most wednesdays are i suppose... i go to work, then stay there until i go to youth group. and yes there are teenagers at both places. loud crazy teenagers. hahaha. 


i know it may sound crazy, but i love it. 

so the picture, or i guess i should say pictures, today were taken at youth group. nothing fancy, i just thought i would share with you a few shots that capture the reasons why i do what i do. the kids :)

what's in a name

day eight:


i always thought that it would be romantic (in some kind of traditional way) to take my husband's last name. but i never imagined that it would be this difficult to get used to. for 28 years i have been a longo. for 5 years i have been at a job where everyone, and i mean everyone, calls me by my last name... to students  and faculty alike i am "ms. longo" or even just plain "longo"... but over this last year everyone, including me, has had to get used to calling me "ms. balut". 

so, my picture today is in honor of my name change. it was a christmas present from tim. he made it out of old books and it's my new name so i absolutely love it.

yawn :o

day seven:


well folks, nothing exciting today. i actually had to force myself to take pictures today, which is why i am doing this blog in the first place. so here it is... my stack of papers. hahaha. but let me add that the red pen on top is amazing! i found a new brand of erasable pens and i am loving them. yup, it's official, i'm a loser :)

happy birthday

day six:


my cousin ryan turned one. and there is nothing better than a one year old enjoying birthday cake. i wish it was still socially acceptable to eat cake like a one year old.


also, i tried out my new editing program... fooling around with colors and what not. not exactly what i wanted here, i wanted it a little darker... his skin is kinda washed out, but i thought it looked kinda cool.

the big E

day five:


tonight i went to the big E with my amazing friends. we ate, and ate, and ate... i loved every second of it. for dinner i had a maine baked potato. then i had a frozen apple cider from the vermont building. and i ended the night with some fried oreos. pretty strong food choices.

anyways, the big E isn't all about the food, i mean it's mostly about the food, but there are other things that are there as well... like the animals. while visiting farm-a-rama, i fell in love with this goat. he was the cutest thing - ever. i wonder if griffey would mind if i got a goat... cause i think i want one :)

my big back yard

day four:


i know i said one picture a day, but today i couldn't choose. so here are a couple of my faves...

this isn't necessarily my yard, but it is right behind my yard. i like to think of it as an extension of my yard... 


















so does griffey.

again, i tried out my "close up". i think if i had to choose this would be my fave of the day.

although, this one would be a close second.

roses are red

day 3:


i figure i should number my posts so i can keep track of how many days i have been taking pictures.

the other day my wonderful husband had roses sent to our house for me. for nothing. just for being me i suppose :) so i thought i would try out the "close up" function and this is what i got.

photo project...

so, today i had an idea. i've got this new camera. i have a million things to learn about it. i want to blog about the experiences i have with it, so... my idea is to take one photo a day and blog about it. i know that there will be some days where i will take many photos... be it at a party, a vacation, the beach, camping... you get the drift. but then there are regular days. days where nothing happens... well, nothing but life that is. so, i am going to take one photo a day, for one year. 

today i actually took a few pictures, but the one i decided to blog about is the starbucks 
coffee. i don't know how many i have consumed over the years, but it never gets old. never. 










i am looking forward to seeing where this project takes me.

practice makes perfect.

of course the package came right in the middle of my cooking dinner... so i had to wait until after dinner to try it out. clarification: i opened the package almost immediately and took the battery out to charge it so that when i was done with dinner i would be all ready to take pictures... to my pleasant surprise, the battery charged super quick and was fully charged at the end of dinner.

so here are a few of the shots i took with the new camera...

i can't wait to figure out all the special features :)

it's here!!!!

today is the day that i have been waiting for. my new camera came in the mail and i am so excited to get busy taking hundreds of pictures. 

redondo beach

i actually took this picture with my old camera, but i love it so much i had to post it! whenever i look at it, i find myself wishing i was in california.

first blog. ever.

i have to be honest... i have never written a blog before. i'm not exactly sure how this will turn out. i figure, i'll either get addicted and blog alllll the time, or i will give up altogether. i'm betting on the latter.


a couple of things i should get out at the beginning... i always write in lowercase letters. in high school i fell in love with e.e. cummings' poetry. for those that don't know, he pushed the limits of text on paper. using upper and lowercase letters to help express his feelings. also, instead of writing in regular stanzas, he placed his words all over the paper. exploring the world of poetry beyond simple lines of text. my favorite example of this is his famous poem 
"r-p-o-p-h-e-s-s-a-g-r" or grasshopper. so now, in honor of the amazing poet, i write in all lowercase letters.


i also love to use ellipses. they says so much without saying anything at all...


so, i suppose this is where the journey begins. i am waiting patiently for my camera to come in the mail. yeah, that's right, my camera. i will soon be the proud owner of a nikon d90 slr, and i cannot wait! it is because of the purchase of this camera that i thought i would start a blog. my hopes are to one day become a professional photographer, but in the meantime i will use the camera to document my life... which by the way is pretty amazing. or at least i think so.


i also have a hidden agenda...