Happy New Year!

 

Okay, so it's not quite 2012 yet, but I, along with many, I am sure, am taking advantage of the post-holiday quiet to re-group, and to get into the spirit of ringing in a New Year!  

As I begin to put away our Christmas decorations, for yet another year, I get a little sentimental, a little reflective, about the year coming to a close.  This one was a busy one...with lots of new people in our lives, lots of travel opportunities - to familiar spots and plenty of new territories too! 

We rang in 2011 in the Tetons, one of our favorite, right in our own backyard, places!  We traveled throughout the year, several times, to Oregon, another of our favorite spots; for Allison's graduation from Oregon State University, for Allison & Stephen's beautiful wedding and all of those related festivities, and we spent a lot of time in one of my very favorite places, the Oregon Coast!  We got to go to Alaskaaaa, as part of a great adventure that began this Spring with mine and Ashley's incredible trip to Thailand and Burma!  And finally, we got to spend Thanksgiving with the Ryan family all together...and then enjoyed a nice, quiet Christmas with our beautiful (and pregnant!) daughter, Ashley!  (So looking forward to meeting our grand-daughter in 2012!!!!)

It was an exciting year!  And I am so grateful for all that we have been able to do and see...and all of the wonderful people in our lives.

I don't really "do" resolutions.  I find that as soon as I commit to a New Year's resolution, it becomes my goal, instead of keeping it, to break it, as quickly as possible, so I can let it go and relax!  Instead, I hope that I live my life as a resolution...to be an authentic, open person.  I hope that I have been true to myself...I hope that I have shown, by my actions and my words, and by my photography too, who I am and what matters most to me.  Time passes by so quickly.  It really does!  Even those days that seem to drag on forever are really just the blink of an eye!  So I hope, in 2012, I can continue to appreciate my life, continue to explore and to be open to new possibilities and new experiences...and that we all treasure every moment we are given and let the people in our lives know how much we cherish them.

To all my friends and family...Happy New Year...I love you!  Thank you for being a part of my life!

It's Summer, in my heart anyway...

...and we have some pretty exciting things going on around here!  I love summer, and it seems like it might actually be arriving afterall!  I especially love all the opportunities we get to travel, see people and places, and play outdoors!

We recently just returned from a quick trip to Corvallis, Oregon, home of the Oregon State Beavers, where we sat proudly in the stands of Reser Stadium to witness our daughter's college graduation!  Yay Allison!!!  We were/are so proud...a bit emotional...and overwhelmingly happy!

We followed graduation with a fun wedding shower for Stephen & Allison and then followed that with a group dinner and then a rowdy bachelorette party!  I am getting way too old for long days like that, but nevertheless, we all had a great time!  I am so entirely thankful that there is so much to celebrate, and so many great family members and friends to help us celebrate!

As a result of the crazy, busy, fun, chaotic summer ahead I have decided not to take on any NEW portrait clients for the summer months, to allow me a little breathing room, a little more play time...and a chance to catch up our fine art photography!  I finally updated my Heart & Soul Images webpage, but it's been almost a year since I've updated our Mike & Kris Ryan Photography website and we have some really great work to share!  So, stay tuned!

As for me, I have some packing to do...let the summer fun begin!

Photo-a-Day! Return from Mom's Weekend!

I promise to get "back to business" soon...but just wanted to post one photo from my weekend with Allison at Oregon State! We had a great time...and I am very, very proud of her!
She organized and co-hosted the Greek Awards Banquet, as part of her duties on the Panhellenic Executive Council on Thursday night. It was a great success! Friday night we attended SING, where Allison's house, Kappa Kappa Gamma, along with their SING partners, Lamba Chi did a GREAT job...and, took 1st place!!! Saturday we played...and partied, just a tiny bit, with the other Mom's visiting for Mom's weekend!
All in all, it was a fun weekend...and always good to see my baby!
Now, back to reality...and...I have to get to that assignment on depth of field!

Photo-a-Day! ...for a week!

I am headed out for the week and leaving my computer behind...so, no blog posts for the next week!
I get to go visit ALLISON at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon!!! It's Mom's Weekend!! Yay! Time to pay a visit to the Kappa house! And maybe a drive over to the Oregon Coast! I am so excited!