Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

Sometimes my job takes me to some very fun places! At the end of July I met with a group who works at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in DC and uses our software. They asked if I'd provide them with a refresher training for their study, and I was happy to oblige as they in turn gave me an "official" visitor pass to the museum for the rest of the day. Not only did this mean I didn't have to deal with security on the way in, but I also got the employee discount on the IMAX movie that evening, was able to walk around and explore the museum kid-free, and didn't have to pay admission to the Butterfly Pavilion! Definitely worth it.

President Obama

On August 2, 2012, President Obama came to Leesburg as part of his campaign speech tour. It was insanely hot, poorly organized, and we were outside for about 4 hours waiting for a 30 minute speech...but despite all of that I'm really glad that I went - the man can give a fantastic speech, and we're happy to help support him in whatever way we can.

UVA shirt photo shoot

My friends and I had the idea while at the beach last month to dress all of our children in the same Virginia shirts and take some photos. Because one friend already had two orange shirts for the boys, we decided to do boys in orange and girls in white. All 7 children were quite cooperative, and let us get these great shots.

Clouds

The weather here in VA (and I think around most of the East coast, if not the country as a whole) has been pretty all over the place this June - cold like March/April one day, burning hot the next. We've had some pretty big storms come through as well. One plus of this crazy weather is that the clouds have been absolutely breathtaking. What's even more impressive is that all of these photos except one were taken with my iPhone (Camera+ app). I guess that goes to show that you don't absolutely need a digital SLR to take a good photo - just a good eye and interesting subject!

Black and white NYC

On Memorial Day weekend, my family spent a day in NYC. As I mentioned in my previous post, I had taken a number of black & white photos that weekend due to that being the subject of my weekly photo project on Facebook. When I got home and went through the photos, I realized how many B&W photos I truly had taken! As I think it makes for a unique way of looking at modern Manhattan, I thought I'd add put my favorites here.

Hotel decoration

Last Sunday, Evan and I attended the Fairfax County Democrat Committee Roosevelt Dinner at the Hilton in McLean, Va. Prior to the actual dinner was a cocktail hour, and I found a few interesting things in the reception area to photograph.

Anniversary surprise

So, I discovered something tonight: taking quality photographs of jewelry is VERY difficult! Today is our 9 year anniversary, and after going out to lunch, my husband surprised me with something: a new ring!

Toys

I've found that children's toys can make very interesting subjects, partially, I think, because of the bright colors.