out with the old, in with the new

Goodbye Halloween.  

and a GOOD bye it is.

We loved every minute of our October festivities...

candy, pumpkins, decorating, costumes, more candy, more costumes, music, more candy, etc. 

But now it's off to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Yahoo!

(this time of year is the BEST!)

Christmas photos in the OC

Because we have been so busy with moving (more on that later) and I am scheduled to shoot my first wedding next week (whoo-hoo!), I have turned away so many people for Christmas pictures.

It is KILLING me!

I love doing this and wish I had more time this season. At any rate, I do have a last minute opening for this Friday in ORANGE COUNTY.

Location:

I will be shooting at Soka University.

It's a pretty location with some archways, columns, a gazebo, some natural scenery, etc.

Time:

3:30-4:30 pm

Price:

$100 for the session which includes ONE (1) digital image on CD for printing/Christmas card use.

The entire collection of images from the session is $200 if you choose to buy that, or you can purchase prints individually.

If you are interested, email me at alidegraff@yahoo.com

I will leave you with some photos from a session that never got posted and should have!

There were so many good ones, it's too hard to choose!

Yabba Dabba Doo

who knew Fred could sew?

I didn't.
He didn't.

But he does.
Every last stitch of these costumes (minus dino) was sewn by my man.

The costumes I was going to attempt would have included a lot more hot glue, staples, possibly scotch tape and would have looked prehistoric, for sure!

Great job T-roy!

sleeves, really?
homemade bloomers for Pebbles, seriously?
and pleats and tucks in my dress, who does that?

Yes, I might be a little, just a tad bit, teensy weensy jealous of my spouses skills.

So here we are:
The Flintstone Family

Possibly the last year of our family-themed costumes as some members of our family are starting to develop opinions of their own on Halloween cosutmes. Imagine that!

Pebbles

Dino

Dino in need of a chiropractor.

Happy Halloween!

post script

Can a set of these be included in the Ragnar fees for next year?

please?

sorry amy, I couldn't resist.

I paid for that?

There are a lot of things I could do with $100 bucks.  

I could hire a housekeeper (much needed).

I could have a date night with my husband (always wanted).

I could buy myself 1 pinkberry yogurt every month for the next year (delish).

I could get a few pedicures for my hopeless feet (can you say snaggletoes?).

You get the picture.

If you had told me that for $100 bucks I could:

be sleepless for 32-ish hours

run 13.5 miles of a 171 mile course

smell like something ripe with 6 other people crammed in a van

lose a couple toenails

run through the Nevada desert in 90 degree heat

catch "catnaps" in places only a cat could fit

use only toilet paper-less outhouses for two full days

and 

survive off foods with words like Goo, Electrolytes, and Power 

(oh and maybe a few dark chocolate M&M's with peanuts)...

...I would have thought you were CRAZY!

But the truth is...

The Las Vegas Ragnar Relay

was a 100 bucks well-spent!

It bought me all that AND more!

Like the company of 11 amazing people whose determination, optimism and amazing displays of athleticism were inspiring!

Like new goldenrod sweatbands that I have always wanted to sport.

Like beautiful vistas that you may not expect from the Nevada desert.

Like playtime on the redrock.

Like cheering on teammates and feeling like the cheerleader I always knew I could be. 

 Lots of spirit fingers.

Like experiencing running at all times of the day and night.  Never knew a 4 am run could be so invigorating?!?

Like dance parties in the street and trying to look as super cute and groovy as Marsha!

Like running with my old running partner again.  She really is amazing.  

Thanks "team mom".

And finally...learning some new running techniques for my next Ragnar!

This girl has skillz that pay the billz!

You guys were all amazing!

Thanks for the experience.

Final Day in Oregon...sniff, sniff

You need to know that our friends, the Cannons, will always represent a chapter in our lives.

  We were all best friends after we were newly married and starting our lives in sunny So. California.  No kids.  Careers.  Apartment living.  Free weekends.  Long beach days.  BBQ's.

We spent many nights out to dinner and a movie with these guys.  Oh the days...

We were all still working out the kinks of marriage.  We have witnessed each others' marital tiffs and squabbles.  We have celebrated each others' successes.  We have even managed to synchronize pregnancies.

It was so good to reconnect with these guys!

On our last day in Portland, we met Chad at work down in the coolest part of Portland.  Well, there are a lot of cool parts, but the Pearl District definitely ranks high on the list.  In between delicious Mexican food and an urban splashpark, we managed to fit in a family photo shoot.

I love how they turned out!

Immediately after the photo shoot and lunch, we made our way up to Multnomah Falls.  An Oregon landmark that should not be left unseen!

These pics are all out of order, but oh well.

I loved the mossy trees.

Does Jack's head look like it's falling off?

Fern-picker

A cool bridge

the falls

That concludes the Oregon tour.   Our friends are now moving to Utah for a new job, so stay tuned for next year's travelogue in the Beehive State.

Heritage Apple Farms - Day 4.5 (yes, are still on the oregon topic)

If this was 5 minutes away from your house, wouldn't you go every day?

I am still BLOWN AWAY by the scenery and beauty of Oregon! 

Not to mention they have the crunchiest, juiciest apples my teeth have ever sunk in to!