Memories, Dreams, & Reflections 2012

I participated in the Memories, Dreams, and Reflections bloggy linkup for 2 years in a row, but it completely slipped my mind this year. I didn't blog much during the fall (first trimester, yuck), so I wasn't seeing the usual reminders from Ashley Sisk!

However, when another blogger/photographer's post about it popped in my newsfeed, I was compelled to do it last minute. So, I spent some time the past few days looking through photos from earlier this year. It felt good to see the progress I've made, and how hard I was working to master new techniques. I would love for my friends and fans to comment on their favorite photos!

1. Me...
and my pretty kitty.
Hubby took this photo in December.



2. I love you
My baby boy.
Hubby took this photo in December.



3. Still laughing
My cat, attacking the snow.
December



4. Winter wonderland
December



5. Birthday
November - my 27th birthday, and my last one wearing my childhood Birthday Star crown.
Starting in 2013, my son will be wearing it!
I can't remember who snapped this one for me, probably hubby.



6. Friends
My twin nieces.
Best friends.
February.



7. I was inspired...
By everyone's pretty holiday bokeh photos!
December.



8. Spring fever
April



9. Travel or Vacation
I couldn't pick just ONE photo from our amazing trip to Dublin, Ireland.
So I made a storyboard.
August



10. Summer days
My cat loves to sit outside on warm summer evenings.
August



11. A day in my life
Watching hubs and Katniss love on each other.
May



12. All smiles
My dad snapped this photo of me and hubs after our gender reveal party in December.
We had just found out that our baby is a BOY!



13. Autumn harvest
October



14. Family or home
December



15. Celebrate
This is the cake from our gender reveal party in December.



16. Let's do it again
Hubs snapped this shot of me with 3 nieces when we went down to TN to visit them.
That aquarium is amazing!
February



17. I miss you
My beautiful goddaughter!
Haven't seen her since July and I don't know when I will get down to TN to see her again.



18. Beautiful
I LOVE purple flowers! Such a beautiful color for a flower.
July



19. Dress up
No better occasion to dress up than a wedding!
My MIL snapped this shot of me with my hubs and one of my besties.
May



20. Macro
May



21. Holidays
December



22. My favorite
My baby girl, my favorite kitty!
December



23. Don't ever change
Hubby... Oh, I love him!
My MIL snapped this for us in September.



24. Just because
The world could use a little more peace.
July



25. Hopes and dreams
“If you could have one wish, what would it be? We all have hopes and dreams that we do almost anything to make real. And if we get lucky, and our wish is granted, maybe that's what we call happiness.” ― Sakura
September

Quarterly Top 5 Photos of Katniss

June is just about over, which means I have 3 more months of photos of my sweet kitty, my furbaby!

This first photo is from April. Katniss was sitting on the windowsill, and the light behind her was just gorgeous.



My second photo is from May. Such a playful kitty!



My next photo is from May again. Her eyes just POP!



My next photo is from earlier this month. She was sitting so regally, in the last burst of natural light coming through the deck doors before the sun set.



And my last photo is from June. My sister-in-law is a photographer (click here for her site) down in TN, so I begged her to take some family shots when they came up for a visit. I am so happy to have professional photos of my little family!

Quarterly Top 5 Photos of Katniss

I am so excited to finally be able to participate in this meme! This is all about sharing your 5 favorite photos of your kids, or your pets. No kids, yet, but Katniss is my little furbaby! I love this kitty, even though she loves my hubby waaaaay more than she loves me.


This first photo is my absolute favorite because it is one of the first few photos I took with my pretty new DSLR (Nikon D7000). As soon as that battery was fully charged, I was out in the living room, dangling toys next to the camera to get her attention.

f2.2  |  1/20 sec  |  iso 1600

This next photo is one of my favorites because I just love how her eyes look. I have this blown up, framed, and hanging on the wall in the condo kitchen. It's also one of my Project 52 photos.

f8  |  1/20 sec  |  iso 400

This next photo is one that I took with my dad's 35mm f/1.8. Ooh, that lens is sweet.

f1.8  |  1/20 sec  |  iso 250

I just love this photo of Katniss exploring our deck. She used to love going out here, but she must have been startled by a bug, because recently she refuses to go outside! I open the door and I sit on the deck and I invite her out with treats and toys. She just sits at the door, staring at me.

f5.6  |  1/250 sec  |  iso 800

And my last photo is the one that captures her love for my husband. I was playing with her and taking some photos, and I had her undivided attention.... UNTIL my husband walked in. Her ears perked up, her eyes widened, and her whole body shifted toward him. Look at the love in her eyes!

f1.8  |  1/20 sec  |  iso 800

So, those are my 5 favorite photos of my furbaby from the past 3 months. I am so excited to capture more of this sweet kitty as I learn more about my sweet camera.

Funny Katniss

I have so much fun taking photos of my kitty... And she has fun posing for me!

I used the free Colorbar template from CoffeeShop.

Insta-iPhonography 3.2.12

When my point and shoot camera decides not to work (which is more often than not), I turn to my iPhone to capture the little things in my life.

And this is my second iPhone photo post in 2 weeks! I'm on a roll here.

All photos imported from iPhone and dumped into a storyboard in Photoscape.

InstaFriday at Life Rearranged
iPhonography at One Mom's Perfect Imperfections