I have been busy my friends. I was in TN last week and Louisiana this week. Now I'm home sweet home and loving every minute of it. I haven't sorted through all of my images from my travels but I did find these two that I am loving today. The first is from out in the middle of the countryside in TN. Tennessee is really beautiful and all along the roads I saw scenes like this. I wish I could have stayed longer or explored more. There is so much I didn't see!

Hello friends! I have been posting Monday Lessons now for a while and would love to get some feedback from you all. I want these lessons to be inspirational and helpful to you. So please, let me know what you are struggling with and what questions you have. Your feedback helps me create better lessons. Please leave your suggestions, questions and comments below in the comments section. Do you have any requests? Is there a Photoshop question that you have?

I thought that I would get home today from my week long trip and find some gem that I shot along the way and feature that as my favorite shot for today but that just might have to wait...I came across this video that my friend Brene posted on her blog today. I love it! I love it so much in fact that I needed to find a way to keep it and share it. So, here you go. I hope you like it too!

Eons ago, at the urging of friends, I created a MySpace page. I got it all set up and put up pictures, chose a little song for the player and so on. I tried to love it but I just never did. It seemed empty. All the while other friends of mine were sending me emails about signing up for Facebook. My first thought was, I don't love this whole MySpace thing so why would I love Facebook? I took a chance and went ahead and set up a Facebook page. It was almost love at first click.

So, if you aren't a Facebook lover you might wonder why I love it. In short, Facebook is the reason why I just did a triathlon last weekend.

It all started so innocently...a client and friend introduced me to a personal training facility in West U called West U Fitness. They do amazing personal training there by the way- absolutely the best! They are, of course, also on Facebook. Back to the story though, one night on Facebook I end up chatting with Leslie. At that point though we were just casual acquaintances. I knew her through some other friends but we hadn't really hung out that much. We talk about training at West U and she starts telling me how I should train for a triathlon. Like most people would do, I tell her she's crazy and that I don't swim or bike and that I couldn't do it. I tell her that the bike that I ride has exactly 3 speeds, pinstripes and basket for my dog. There was no way.

Fast forward to last weekend...

I love Facebook because it allows you to connect with people you might otherwise not be able to connect with. Not only does it allow you to simply connect, it allows you to converse and share. I get to share pictures with my BFF who lives in Austria, my brother who lives in Austin and all of my other various friends both near and far. I get to share news about my business, share images with my clients and learn so much about all the people who I get to meet along my way. Sure, along with all the good comes the not so good...the person who you hoped would never find you does. You may also get a million invites to things that you may not care about BUT you also get invites that you do care about and requests from people that you do want to see again. I'll take the not so great because, for me, the good stuff outweighs the bad. I'm grateful to all my Facebook friends. I like seeing their updates and their pictures. I enjoy the funny little updates that remind me that we're in this together. I like that, even though my life is crazy busy, I can take a few minutes and catch up.

So, a big shout out needs to go to my new tri-girl buddy Leslie. Thanks for the push! I'm glad we're friends. I'm looking forward to our next one! I also need to say a HUGE thank you to my trainers, Angie Henderson and Sean Weigner. They completely made it possible for me to do what I did and I appreciate them so much.

And to you my blog friends, if we're not friends on Facebook, I hope you'll send me a friend request! Who knows, maybe I'll get you to do something crazy like a triathlon! :)

There's no doubt about it, summer has officially arrived here in Houston, Texas. It's been in the 90's all week. I'm bracing myself because I am NOT a heat lover. I find the summer in Houston oppressive, draining and depressing. Don't get me wrong, I am not a summer hater. In fact, there are so very many things that I love about the summer. I just wasn't built for hot weather. I think my Irish heritage has something to do with it. My pale skin is just way more comfortable in a fuzzy sweater sipping cold beer on a foggy day.

When I think about the joys of summer, I instantly think back on my childhood. I remember summer camp by the Guadalupe river, campfires, July 4th picnics at the bay house and pretty much living in the pool. Sayer and Finn have been staring longingly at the pool for weeks. They were trying to get in it a month ago. They would even put on their suits (despite our warnings about how cold it was) and try and force themselves in. Of course they would come running back minutes later begging for a towel. One of the good things that comes along with the hot weather is warm pool water and our kids are so excited to be back in the pool!

This Friday I am celebrating the beginnings of summer, the warm pool water and only about a month and 3 weeks until our annual summer trip! This picture just makes me smile. It is Allison and Finnian spending one of the first warm water days in the pool and loving every minute of it.

These are my other 2 favorites from the day. I hope you guys are all enjoying your first signs of summer and maybe even getting to spend some time in the pool! I hope you will share your favorite shots with us. You can include links to your images (flickr, blogs, etc.) in the comments section below or add them to my Favorite Shot Friday Flickr pool.