Sunday, April 17th, 2011: 89/365

Now we are back in Miami. Our cruise is over and we are heading back to Grenada. We had a fantastic lunch with Daniel before going to Miami International Airport for our direct flight back to Grenada. Then April and Dwaine will pick us up when we arrive. It has been a fantastic trip.

Saturday, April 16th, 2011: 88/365

Bam. Silhouette. I love my new camera. We had our second and final fun day at sea today. We lost $14 in the casino and $20 in bingo but we had lots of fun trying the penny slot machines for the first time. Dinner tonight was delicious. They made a special indian dinner for us because we are vegetarian and the main dinner was lobster and steak. We had a fabulous day relishing in each others attention, reading our Kindles and soaking up the sun. Its weird to think that I haven't had a cell phone or computer for a whole week but I kind of like being secluded for a while.

Friday, April 15th, 2011: 87/365

Today was our forth and final stop on the cruise. We spent the day laying on the beach in Cozumel, Mexico. This is one of my favorite pics from the day. I continue to experiment with depth of field, aperture, shutter speed and the various tricks of photography I'm learning in Understanding Exposure. Also, I was handed a free raffle ticket while sitting on the beach and ended up winning a free pair of earrings that I love! We are having a blast!

Thursday, April 14th, 2011: 86/365

We stopped in Belize today, or as some people know it, British Honduras. We toured the city of Belize City and went out to Altun-Ha to see the Mayan ruins there. It was un-belize-able, as they like to say. The ruins were so tall and we got to climb to the top and see the whole plaza. My camera battery died on our way so this is the only picture I have for now until we can get the pictures off of the point and shoot camera we borrowed from Allie. It was a great day though, we also picked up some souvenirs for our family and friends.

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011: 85/365

We arrived in Roatan this morning. For those of you who haven't heard of it, its a small island off the cost of Honduras, and its gorgeous! We went zip lining! Palak is afraid of heights so this was quite the accomplishment to convince him to go. We went through 1100 feet of lines suspended more than 40 feet in the air. It was so much fun. Then as if the day could get any better, we got to go through Gumbalina Park and play with Capuchin monkeys! There were about 7 monkeys in the park that were friendly enough to handle. They climbed up on our shoulders and we could pet them all we wanted. It was so cool. 

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011: 84/365

Our first stop is at Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. The water is blue and the sand is hot. We spent the day laying in the sun, frolicking in the clear blue sea and reading our Kindles. It was a very relaxing day.

Monday, April 11th, 2011: 83/365

Today is our first fun day at sea. We slept in in the morning, had a marvelous breakfast. Ate in the buffet for lunch and enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the dining room. We saw the show the performers were putting on and it was really entertaining. They sang songs from all the decades and hit every note. We are looking forward to seeing the Cayman Islands tomorrow!

Sunday, April 10th, 2011: 82/365

YAY! We are on the boat. This gargantuan cruise ship holds 3500 people and 1500 crewmen. There are buffets and shows and a casino and basketball courts and everything! We already have a drink in hand and are loving having our Kindles to read out on deck. Best day ever!

Also, I got my camera!!!!!!! It is a Nikon D3100 and I LOVE IT! I have already read the owners manual and am having a blast shooting in manual mode!

Thursday, April 7th - Saturday, April 9th

I have been negligent in my picture taking. We are preparing for our cruise. We leave on April 9th and we come back on the 17th. I promise to upload pics from there when we get back. Also, I opened the digital camera we have and were planning to take on the cruise and it is broken. It won't open all the way :( I think it is kind of serendipitous though as I have been researching and trying to find a digital SLR camera that we can afford so I can continue to grow in the field of photography. Maybe I will end up getting a camera in Miami while we are there.

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011: 81/365

Photography. We got our pictures back today from our photo shoot. I love them. These are two of my favs.  Also, I continue to play with a DSLR camera loaned by one of my friends. Ashley, the gifted photographer that took these pictures has been kind enough to sit with me today for an hour and share with me some of her knowledge. I am so excited by taking photographs and Ashley has offered to teach me whatever she can. Stay tuned to watch as I continue to learn and love taking pictures. :)

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011: 80/365

I have made light. Ok. That's not really true. But I did take this photo in almost complete darkness. I have been continuing to explore photography and had a friend kind enough to lend me a digital SLR camera until I can get my hands on my own. This is my favorite picture from tonight. I wish you could see how dark it really is outside so you can understand how excited I am that I was able to get such depth and detail into this picture. PS. I didn't use the flash either. :)

Monday, April 4th, 2011: 79/365

Today was a particularly stressful day. Both my jobs had intense situations and Palak is super stressed with upcoming exams. I decided to take a little time out and go back to the rocks to practice some of the photography skillz I have been learning in Understanding Exposure (a book Ashley suggested about photography). This was my favorite one from today. I love how I was able to capture the exact moment the wave hit the rocks and each little sparkle of water. Seeing the water in this way reminds me that even though its just a little drop it is still significant. I can't get bogged down with the mundane details or the drudgery in life but I have to focus on the little things that are so important that are often lost in the bigger picture. I am safe, happy, healthy and loved. These are the little sparkles that get me through. I should try to let them sparkle through my life more often.

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011: 78/365

Made it to volleyball today. I have been missing this part of my life. Though Joe wasn't there and one of the players was frustrating Allie was there which made it a lot better. I could just look at her and giggle at the fact she knew EXACTLY what I was thinking when I was frustrated. I also like keeping up my volleyball skillz and remember all the things Coach Thelen said to me on my high school team. Never thought I would need that info again....

Saturday, April 2, 2011: 77/365

I'm a sucker for a good panoramic. I went to the rocks today with April, Dwaine, Allie, Rachele and Ashley for Ashley to take photos of April and Dwaine (yes we often travel in herds). It is gorgeous there. I loved the contrast between the green grass, brown dirt and blue ocean, plus the clouds were pretty cool hanging barely above the land.

Friday, April 1st, 2011: 76/365

Shiloh turned 2 today! For those of you who don't know she is the dog of our future neighbors and friends April and Dwaine. They had a cookout to celebrate Shiloh's venture into the terrible 2's or the terrible teens depending on how you calculate the dogs age and to celebrate the end of the hell week full of exams. It was lots of fun!!