Weekend Trip with Friends

A couple of weekends ago, we decided to take a trip with some of our friends up to one of the wineries up here. I'm sure you'd never guess that there are wineries up here seeing as we have gnarly winters that, literally, last 7 months, but there are actually a LOT of them up here. And a lot of them are not only beautiful, but very well known and fairly large. 

In our quest to just do everything we possibly can in the month we're still here, we said, "why not?" and made the drive up there with our friends for the day. The one we went to, Thousand Islands Winery, is up in Alexandria Bay, which is a gorgeous and fun little town. Some of you may recall my trip to Boldt Castle a couple years ago while James was deployed. This winery and the Castle are in the same city, as well as many quaint, little shops and restaurants. It's just a great place to be during the summer. 

As expected, it was quite the experience. We got to take a tour of the winery and see the tanks in which all the wine fermented (which was a trip for my science loving husband), see the four kinds of grapes they grow on the premises, and look at all the local products that they sell along with their wine. While I am a five year old when it comes to food and what I eat, James was IN LOVE with all the different local jams and dips they sold. There was even a mustard one that I liked, and that's a pretty big deal. 

My favorite part, though, is that I have friends who WANT to take pictures and let me photograph them! In the short time some of them have been up here while we have, I've grown so fond of them and had so many memorable moments with this group. I hated this area when we first got up here, but I've actually grown to like it quite a bit and I've gotten incredibly comfortable. I have to say, I will miss it here when it's time for us to leave, especially the people we've met and become friends with. Just like this trip, I hope we're able to take advantage of more of these kinds of opportunities, regardless of the activity. Time is too precious to waste.

New Camera Snaps

Not too long ago, I took a big step. I bought myself a NEW CAMERA! 

I'd been feeling incredibly limited by my old camera body for months and finally, I saved up enough money to buy a major upgrade. It's still not as high caliber as I'd like, but it's a huge step up from my beginner camera. Don't get me wrong. It's served me well and if you know how to use your camera, you're going to get great images. I had just outgrown it. 

Once my card converter came in, I (obviously) took pictures as soon as I could. For the most part, that meant pictures in low light, but I was cool with that. I actually have a camera that I can use in low light without getting major grain and I was anxious to try.

These are just a few shots I've taken in the week or so that I've had my camera and been able to use it. There are plenty more images I have and some more themed posts, but I wanted to share a few snaps. 

Project 52 l Weeks 23 and 24

Week 23 ; Blur and Week 24 ; Motion

Missed me? Life has been busy in the Armstrong household, especially if your name is Danielle. I started my school semester about a month ago and am currently averaging reading 4 chapters, two to three quizzes, a discussion post and response to the post immediate after mine, two lectures, and a few worksheets each week. For two classes, mind you.

And I squeeze in some photo sessions in there, attention for my husband and three fur babies, anywhere from 30-90 minutes for working out (this does include walking Talos), editing photos from sessions, and still trying to have a social life and enjoy the small amount of time we have left here with friends. Oh, yeah. Throw in planning a move across the country, too. 

My plate is (kind of really) full. Hence the lack of blogging. But, I am trying to catch up! And I am staying on top of Project 52 for the most part. I was late this past week, but only because I just haven't had a moment to edit personal photos. 

I do have a few posts to blog once the photos get edited, which I actually have a moment to do right now! I have a "light" week in terms of school work this week, so that means I actually get time for me. Insert the thought of, "wait, what's that?" 

Project 52 l Week 22

Week 22 ; My Life

My life for the next 7 days consists of fruits, vegetables, and a whole lot of juice. After getting all of our groceries for the majority of the week, we're wondering what we've gotten ourselves into.