Tag: summer

Friday Night Lights: Food Truck Style

On By AngeliaIn Life is what you make it.46 Comments

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Our local parks and recreation created a sensational show of food and entertainment when it invited food truck vendors to set up shop in our neighborhood.

Food, fun, and family. The three F’s of summer.

Luckily the park they selected to feature this row of delicious fanfare ended up only a few miles from our house. So of course….OF COURSE….we had to be there. Yes, it is a little pricey (for dishes made in a moving vehicle). But truly you are paying for the atmosphere. The people-watching. The adorable pet-watching (my favorite). The unique food vendors. And just mingling with your neighborhood.

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The sights and sounds are just as delicious as what you are tasting.

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As the sun sets and the shadows change, the entire view changes.

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What do you order? Where do you go?

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How do you choose your favorite flavor?
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Splitting the family up is always a good idea. More trucks = more tastes.

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And maybe you hit the same truck more than once. There is no shame in that. I know we did.
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Lights.
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Camera.
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Eating!

Favorite food truck? A Taste of Cuba. They have the best funnel cake fries.

Favorite dessert? Definitely, What’s da Scoop? But the snow cone truck was a close second.

These are not all the photos from our Friday Night delights, but they are ones that I see the most contrast…which happens to be the weekly photo challenge theme this week on The Daily Post at WordPress. Do you love images of light and dark? Be sure to check out the other entries. And? Look up your local parks. Maybe you have a Food Truck network nearby.

Eat mobile. It’s delicious.

The Summer of Swim

On By AngeliaIn In the lives of children, Life is what you make it., Life..Camera...Action!11 Comments

I learned to swim when I was three years old. Mom took me and my brothers to Wintersmith Pool for swim lessons. Oh, they were eaarrrrly on Summer morning, but once we got in the water, none of us cared. Lucky for me the tadpoles did not last long and I paddled my way up to ducks. My brother skipped ducks all together. They put him in intermediate class because he could swim across the Olympic-size pool…at five.

This pool had one of those super high-dives. We all jumped off it. We swam and swam and swam. Mostly underwater, which is still my favorite way to swim.

I love swimming. There is something about the cool deep blue that tucks you in. Silencing your thoughts in the deep quiet. Illuminating wonder by the cascading rays of light. And then the sheer challenge of swimming. Who can go the farthest, the fastest, and with the least amount of breath.

When I was ten, we moved to a house with a pool AND a spring diving board. With my birthday in the summer we had the best pool parties and I had the BEST summers. For me that is what summer was all about – swimming. Every day. Back and forth the length of the pool. Backwards, forwards, and upside down. I could spend hours by myself making up games, dives, and flips all the while swimming, swimming, swimming.

I think that is why I love summer so much. Yes, it is HOT. It is cloudless, and dry. The grass is crunchy brown. My flowers hate me, and the mosquitos….ugggghh!

Despite ALL that, I still love it. Because summer means swimming.

Sydney learned to swim at three as well. A self-taught little booger. I don’t even know how it happened. All I know is we were walking in the shallow water of the kids pool. I look down and she is swimming right along – underwater.

Amazing.

I’ve been bummed that the little girls haven’t learned to swim. This last summer, they had to have floaties, and arms near-by. They would hardly take them off even in the shallow. Neither of them would go underwater. At! All! Didn’t want to get their face wet, or chlorine in their eyes.

Ohhhh, it was maddening, but I knew when they were ready and with instruction. Those girls would swim. And they would LOVE it.

It took two lessons.

Day 1 – Not loving the water so much.

Day 2 – Swimming under water.

Day 3 – More swimming under water and we have photos by my dear friend Tammy (it’s her beautiful daughter doing the lessons).

And with that, I declare this year The Summer of Swim!

Drop your life vests. It’s go time.

Yay, girls!!!

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H2O: two parts Heart and one part Obsession. ~Author Unknown

Mini Shutter Bug

On By AngeliaIn Posessed by Nikon, Timeless Treasures25 Comments

I promised to update about my oldest stepdaughter’s camp adventure and here it is.

I spied this photography camp when I first got the Kid’s and Teen’s University schedule from the Continuing Ed Department of UTA. This is the same program I went through to get certified in digital photography. I knew of the instructor that was teaching it. I didn’t have her in class, and had only met her in person once (in a big, crazy-busy group I might add). We are connected in the social media networks (she cracks me up on Instagram). I heard great things about her, and her classes through a mutual friend of hers, and MANY other photography friends. I was very comfortable that Molly would enjoy her instruction. I even messaged her that Molly was a little on the young side, and she was fine with it.

Molly has used a little telescope as a pretend camera for as long as I have known her. Both girls used my first DSLR on our recent Oklahoma trip, and got the hang of it pretty quick. I had no doubt she would do well and learn a little about photography.

At the top of Mt. Scott in Oklahoma.

This camp class was using a point and shoot camera. We went shopping for her new camera and camera bag. I was going to give her my old point and shoot, but honestly? I can’t find it. It is one of the lost items from our move two years ago. And by that, I mean it’s buried in the heap of crap-I-don’t-need-but-moved-from-my-duplex-anyway garage stuff.

Her first day, she got her little camera bag ready the night before (she did this every night, but her bag grew to a backpack).

I showed her all the basic operations of her camera (like on/off and where the memory card goes).

She caught on very quickly. She LOVED her teacher. Tammy is a natural with the kids, and they enjoyed every second. Molly was VERY sad on her last day to say good-bye to her.

Tammy sent me the photos she took of the kids in class. You can see in her eyes how much fun she had.

Big thanks to Tammy for these wonderful images. If you have a second, please visit her Facebook Tammy Ferguson Photography. She teaches from her heart, but is a full-time professional photographer.

I took this below at home before Molly left for her last day. It was so funny. She had Tammy a little gift and a card she colored herself.

After I took the photo, Molly asked me very calmly if she had a merge. I couldn’t help but be surprised. A merge is when you subject has something coming out of their head or body that makes them look funny. Usually, it’s a pole or plant.

I told her, I didn’t think so, but she could look at the photo. As soon as she saw the photo, she started yelling, “Merge! Merge! There is a fireplace coming out of my head!”

I laughed a good long time. And then, I decided, I probably needed to go back to class. Heh.

One thing is for sure, she merged into quite the shutter bug.

I don’t know if she will stay interested in photography, and I don’t mind if she doesn’t. She tried something new, and for that I am so proud.

And She Danced….

On By AngeliaIn Beautiful Life7 Comments

Dancing faces you towards Heaven, whichever direction you turn. ~Terri Guillemets

In the summer we have a month of full custody with the little girls. That means they go from spending four nights in a month at Dad’s house …..to 27 nights in a month at Dad’s house. It’s a BIG change for everyone, but one that we enjoy, because instead of just visiting…….it feels like they really live here (and those on the visitation side totally get that).

This year we had the opportunity to sign the girls up for a few summer activities while we had them. And for the youngest, I found a dance place that did Tuesday night classes for the month of July. It equaled out to almost the same time/days as the oldest step-daughter’s chosen activity for July – a week long photography camp (more on that later).

I couldn’t be happier for both of them.

Bridget is a very girly girl. She dances all the time. From room to room, and in the car (Syd and I taught her that – ha!). She carries an old iPhone around that plays music. She looooooves it. We watch America’s Got Talent in the summer. There is LOTS of dancing. This was a very easy choice for her when asked, “Would you like to do dance class?”

So we trekked to SEVERAL places to find alllll the outfits for tap/ballet and hip hop. That is leotards, tights, tap shoes, ballet shoes, and hip hop shoes. Yes, hip hop shoes. Basically, dance sneakers and NOT sneakers. Dance sneakers have a flexible middle sole. We could only find them in a dance shop in West Fort Worth.

But it was all worth it to see her face on the first day of dance class (I’m really late in posting these).

She LOVED it.

We were a little worried because after tap/ballet class. She is required to CHANGE ROOMS to hip hop class. They assured us they would help her get from room to room and they did.

She made it from room to room. She even showed us a super cute dance move after a couple of classes. This kid is a natural.

*Spoof Photo*

Molly trying to beat the snap of the shutter. Maybe we should put her in track?

Next week is parent observation, we get to sit in on the last ten minutes of class to see what they have learned. Pretty exciting…..

She tells me she looooves ballet the best.

And she is already asking to be enrolled into fall classes. The fall classes are a season, not a month, and would have a recital in pretty costumes at the end.

Oh Summer. I love you. I love the joys you bring to our kids.

**I apologize for the photo quality of these images. I was actually working when she left and had a only few minutes to snap a few photos. Wouldn’t you know the camera was on the wrong settings? Ahh! LOL. Also, I haven’t been around much because I am buried under my full-time job in travel, being a full-time step mom this month, and finishing three photography jobs. I hope to see the light at the end of the tunnel soon!