This friday I didn’t get a chance to create a theme or edit a series of photos for photofriday. I was too busy seeing the Sex and the City movie, working on crafts, and going out for the evening with my husband. Such a nice day! So anyway, here are a few random photos I already had edited and stored on my computer. Enjoy!(or so I hope,lol)

Have a great weekend!

We just got back from a short visit to Sequoia National Forest, an impromptu trip just to escape from the normal routine and enjoy Memorial Day. It was really lovely, particularly since we got to see the redwoods while snow fell gently down on us. Granted, it was a bit cold and wet but still wonderful. I have never smelled air so clean and fresh. What a relaxing way to spend the holiday together. I love taking trips with my husband :).

For this weeks photofriday theme I decided to give you a glimpse into my world. I’ve spent alot of time photographing the beaches in Dana Point because we live just a short walk from there on the edge of Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano. It’s a very lovely place and I wanted to share a little bit of my world:) ! Most of these photos are a year or so old. I have a bunch of new photos I’d love to upload but unfortunately my photoshop program isn’t working tonight for some reason. I guess I’ll just save the newer photos for another Friday. Have a great weekend everyone!

We’re lucky here in Southern California to have three or four renaissance fairs here every spring. My husband and I usually go to all of them. I love to look at all the craft items and we both enjoy taking photos of all the people in costumes. So for my first photofriday I’ve decided to post some of the photos I’ve taken at these faires. Mainly they are just candid shots of people or performers wandering around in the crowds. Most of the photos I take at fairs are things I mean to use as stock photos for creating digital art. Even though they aren’t the greatest photos I decided to slap some borders on them and share them anyway. Here they are :

I have to admit, I’ve had a touch of the winter blues lately. I’ve been completely lethargic, unproductive, a little bit lost and lacking in creativity. Not to mention having very little zest for life in general. I’ve just wanted to snuggle under the blankets with my husband and hide from the world. Even here in usually sunny southern California winter can be a deary, wet, gloomy time. However spring is definitely on the way. The hillsides are turning green and the air is fresh and crisp with the hint of early blooming flowers. Now it’s time to dig myself out of this winter rut and rediscover my passion for living (beyond just adoring my husband ). I think that’s one of the reasons I’ve wanted to keep a blog. I thought that by journaling I could rediscover my “voice”, re-ignite my creativity, rebuild my sense of self and remind myself to appreciate all of my MANY blessings. As March arrives, and a new season slowly unfurls, I want to find little ways to lighten my soul and bring spring into my heart as I pull myself out of the slump I’ve been in for the past few months.

Appropriately enough the Inspire Me Thursday Challenge theme is LEAP. Just perfect for me since I need to find a way of my own to leap back into life and embrace the beauty of spring and the world around me. My submission for the challenge is this photo taken in Avalon on Catalina Island on my 35th birthday last September(an absolutely WONDERFUL memory!).

If anyone reads this I’d love to hear about what brings joy & beauty to your world, the things that make you feel beautiful or contented, alive or peaceful. What gives you moments of bliss?

Last weekend my husband, sister-in-law and I attended the Scottish Festival and Highland Games at the Queen Mary in Long Beach. My husband and I have gone every year since we got married, so this is our fourth year and we always have a nice time. The Queen Mary is one of our favorite places and we’ve stayed on board several times. Since it’s a two day event, I think next year we’ll probably plan to stay on board during the festival so that we don’t have to bother driving back and forth.It’s very relaxing to wander around the ship and the grounds, watching the athletic games and the piping competitions or browsing around the booths & doing a bit of shopping. I do wish that we had packed a picnic lunch though. The ‘authentic’ Scottish food they serve on board for the festival is perfectly hideous. I really hope it’s not a true representation of the food in Scotland; greasy meat pies and tastless gray sausages. Ick! We did find some wonderful Walker’s Toffee and I found out I can buy it at most Taste of Britain shops or online. I had an English penpal who sent me a variety of Walker’s toffee once as a birthday gift and I fell in love with the chewy deliciousness. I’m a big fan of british candies now :).

Besides indulging my sweet tooth, I was also able to buy myself a half dozen historial romance novels by Kathleen Givens. She was at the fair promoting her novels (which are set in medieval scotland) and we chatted for awhile while she signed all of my books. She was very sweet and I enjoyed talking to her about how she researches her novels. Yesterday I spent the entire day reading her book, Rivals for the crown, and I really enjoyed it. It has a strong plot and is more history than romance, which I like. I always enjoy a good story and this one delivers. I hope her other books are just as good.

I was finally able to find out which clan my mother’s family belongs too. They are from clan Stuart of Bute. I was able to find a listing for them in a book at one of the clan society tables. I’m not 100% sure which clan my father’s family belonged too but we believe it’s the Macleod of Lewis clan (with the yellow ‘loud MacLeod’ tartan we’re wearing in the picture at the top of this post). If it’s not the clan Macleod than it probably is the Stuart of Bute clan as well. I think it’s kind of interesting that my parent’s families possibly came from the same clan and were allies centuries ago. My husband and I are considering getting some clothing in the MacLeod tartan to wear to celtic festivals, or possibly even to the renaissance faires we love to attend. I love anything from the British isles but particularly from Scotland.My family comes mainly from Scotland with a bit of Irish and American Indian mixed in.

Alright, I guess that’s enough rambling. Below are just a few photos from the scottish festival. The little boy in the first photo is one of the highlights of the parade & drum major competition. He’s just 7 years old and has such focus and poise in front of the crowd. We’ve seen him march for the last two or three years and the crowd goes crazy for him. I also really loved the two competitors I’ve featured from the scottish games, the man doing the caber toss and the woman doing the stone put . Neither of them are spring chickens but they don’t let that stop them from competing. The man doing the caber toss was probably the oldest in the competition and he was one of the only ones to get the caber up & over. He shined in the other competitions as well. It just goes to show that you shouldn’t let age (or anything else) hold you back or stop you from doing what you love. If you want to learn a little more about traditional scottish games visit here.