Bopril

Instagram

Have you heard of Instagram? It's all the rage among photography and interweb loving types, and I am having such fun with it since I discovered it just prior to the holidays. It's an app, but also a community where you "follow" people and share images that you've taken with your phone and applied interesting filters to. I love seeing the interesting and creative images that people take; it is always fascinating to see what catches the eye, you know? As with any community like this, there is a lot of hidden talent, and I literally find new people to add to my queue each day. Are you on Instagram? If so, follow me (I'm Bopril on there, which I know is terribly original, but also? consistent). And if not? Join, and follow along. It's fun, I promise.

I hope you're having a lovely weekend, and as one last plug to convince you to join me in my latest hobby/obsession, here are a few photos I've taken with the app over the last few weeks:

 

 

 
 
 
 

See? SO FUN!

New Toys

Last weekend, Hubby and I spent some quality time roaming the aisles of Best Buy -- I know this has long been designated a guy's playground, but the truth is, I love it there as much as he does (maybe more?) -- and we left with a couple of new toys to keep us occupied.

I'll spare you the play by play, but Internet, we have yet another flat screen television in our home -- this one proudly displayed in the bedroom -- and we absolutely love it. Even before we have the HD box hooked up so we can really take advantage of our new gadget in all its glory. In our defense, the television we were using previously was Hubby's from when he first moved to California, weighed about 3 trillion pounds and was always threatening to collapse the dresser upon which it perched. That thing had to GO is what I'm sayin.

Hubs quite enjoyed pulling the new guy out of its box and setting it up in its new home -- all in less than half an hour. There's something to be said for the smaller variety of flat screens. He decided to balance the brand new TV on our tiny outdoor cocktail table, giving me a small heart attack (but also a photo opp...bonus!):

 

Here is he is hard at work so you can get the full picture:

Moving so fast, I actually caught a blur on the camera! And here is our new flat-screen baby already tuned in to a much beloved channel:

Perhaps one of these days, all the Food Network watching will actually lead to a desire to cook - what do you think? Stranger things have happened, but just in case, I've suggested to Hubby that he might not want to hold his breath.   

In other news, Mama got a brand new lens for the fancy camera. So of course, I've been clicking away and am already amazed by the difference and the new limits I can push this photography thing - all because of a few focal points and the ability to zoom. Yep, I'm in love.

The fur-babes enjoyed a little midday sunlight (and the requisite nap to accompany it):

 

And look, things are starting to get really green around these parts:

Speaking of green, we leave bright and early tomorrow for some Derby fun and green is the preferred color for this year's dress. Sneak peek in 3...2...1...

Yep, it's purposely vague and cropped! I am evil. Oh and one more thing, I can really, seriously ZOOOOOOOOOM with my new toy:

Next time I am not leaving without an iPad. And that's final.

Happy hump day, folks. Thanks for reading.    
 

Love Paints the Best Pictures

Last night as I was perusing my 4738476251 feeds, I noticed an interesting trend.

It's no secret that I'm obsessed with photography and therefore, shouldn't be surprising that I follow a large number (and variety) of photography related blogs. But all of my favorites have a common theme: they beautifully and artfully capture love. They are the kinds of images that will leave you breathless, punch you in the gut and elicit an immediate and powerful emotion (for me usually tears - SAP alert!).

I stumbled upon this image during our morning commute today courtesy of this awesome Tumblr feed:

Tell me you don't feel sucker punched right now. I do NOT believe you. Emotions still running a little high from all of yesterday's celebrations, this hit me particularly hard. Sobbing ensued, but in the best way possible. What an awesome moment - captured forever.

In an entirely different way, the following two images have the same effect:

Please visit this blog immediately - I love everything about his work. Beautiful.

Another must visit site - I die regularly over the amazing, stunning work they do with weddings and other key life moments.

And then one of my own faves - shot in the park on one of my favorite trips:

I watched these two for quite awhile; their glee was catching.

Happy Love Thursday; I hope you're remembering to paint your own pictures regularly.

Headed to the Big Apple

It's been close to a year since I've been there, and several more since I've visited during my favorite season. But tomorrow, bright and early, we are heading to New York and I'm beyond excited.

We're going for my BFF's 30th birthday; she and her hubby are throwing a dual bash to celebrate each of their entries into a new decade (the 30's for her, 40's for him). I cannot wait to relax and catch up with friends. I plan to pop open the wine frequently and walk as much of the awesome NYC streets as I can squeeze in.

In an extra special twist, another of my favorite gals is going to be visiting the Big Apple at the same time, so we've arranged a fun dinner with another rad couple. Internet, this is going to be fun.

Also? My camera is feeling very neglected so I plan to be really snap happy while we're there. To kick things off, I've borrowed a couple of images from Google and Flickr to inspire what I hope to see in my beloved Central Park:

 

Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous.

 

Yes please, take me here. Now.

I'll check back next week with plenty of updates and tales from our big city adventure. Until then, have a great weekend all!

Another Summer, Gone in a Blink

2009 featured a very odd summer here in Chicago. All in all, I'd describe it as very short, unusually mild and exceedingly fast. It seems like yesterday that we made the first trip of the season to the lake and dusted off the wave runner, our rafts and our deck side chairs.

What can I say? Time is maniacal these days; I can barely keep up. We ended summer pretty much the same way we began...good conversation, naps in the sun, reading in the breeze, yummy wine, bbq's, good friends, runs around the lake and of course, plenty of doggie fun. 

The early morning light at the lake is truly remarkable; I often wake up and stare at it, mesmerized out my window, but I've never grabbed my camera to capture it. A travesty, right?! So this trip, I snagged my camera bag and headed out extra early to capture the magnificence...the buttery light is really indescribable. And my amateur photographer skills don't do it justice - not by far - but I thought it fitting to share.

As summer winds to its inevitable end and you gear up to begin yet another work week, don't forget to pause - just for a minute - and let a little light in.

I hope 2009 was your happiest summer yet.