Saved--Day 2

Today, the children did a program over the first half of Genesis. They sang songs and re-enacted the story of Noah. Adorable. Then Manuel shared about Abraham. He talked about how God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. But when Abraham obeyed, God SAVED the boy. When Abraham pleaded for the righteous people of Sodom and Gomorrah, God SAVED Lot and his family (with the exception of the wife who couldn't keep from looking back). I'll SAVE the rest for later.

Photo Safari 2~Artsy-Fartsy

For our second photo safari, we decided on the theme "Artsy-Fartsy". We planned a quick overnight trip to Big D which included a trip to the Museum of Art (hence the politically incorrect title of our safari).

We left after I got off work, drove to Big D, ate at the Spaghetti Warehouse, walked around a bit, and then went to our hotel for a late night swim in the roof-top pool overlooking the city. It was a wonderful evening.

Here are a few of my photos...

Shooting Fountains

Waterfall Fountains~ I thought the cool "artsy" thing about this pic was the way HanK and Hallie are "ghosting" into the scene. Of course it was an unplanned accident, but I'm pretty sure that's how we get some of our greatest works of art. Right?

HannahKate goes to great lengths to get the shot.

The next morning, we went to brunch at a quirky coffee shop that Joel knew of from a MM photo shoot. The atmosphere was fun and the food was great. Our waiter had a tattoo of "The Giving Tree" on his arm and fueled the girls with double shots of Mountain Dew by duct taping two to-go cups together before sending us off. (That's two cups for each girl...who had already had MD during our meal...they were definitely "all hopped up on Mountain Dew" a la Ricky Bobby.)

While we were enjoying our meal, two men and a lady walked past us on their way out of the restaurant. I noticed one of the men was carrying a book. I said to Joel, "Did you see that guy? He was reading Same Kind of Different as Me which is one of my all time favorite books!" Then Joel said, "Denyse, did you see WHO that guy was?" Turns out, I was too busy looking at his book to even notice that it was Mike Modano, the legendary hockey player. Such a shame, because he is one hunky man...and I missed him! Oh well, its nice to know he has good taste in books...

The Quirky Coffee Shop Where I Missed Seeing a Famous Person

Next, we pressed on to the Museum of Art. My pics from there aren't all that great, because I used my phone's camera. Honestly, I was much busier enjoying the art than trying to take artsy photos.

I have to admit. This is actually BigJoel's picture. His was better than mine, so I borrowed it. I'm fascinated by these huge glass flowers. They remind me of the ceiling/light fixtures in the Bellagio hotel in Vegas.

HannahKate and Hallie enjoyed the interactive "Textures" exhibit.

My abstract "artsy-fartsy" shot of the day~a metal mesh-like bench in the Museum garden.

I don't know the name of this sculpture, but it sorta reminded me of a giant fortune cookie...

So, our second photo safari was just as successful as the first. We had an amazing time together as a family and even got a little "culture" in the process.

Photo Safari~First/Beginnings

This summer, in an attempt to keep the girls from getting bored with their new found freedom from school, BigJoel came up with the brilliant idea of a "Photo Safari". (Hallie actually coined the name.) The premise is that we decide on a theme and then drive around town taking pictures that depict our own interpretations of the theme. We will choose the best ones and compile a scrapbook at the end of the summer. Since this was our inaugural "safari", we chose the theme of "First/Beginnings". Here are some of my shots...since its my blog.

The corner of "First" and Park

The sign at "First" Baptist Church

This used to be a minor league baseball stadium. Joel suggested it because there were lots of "Big Innings" there...its a stretch, I know...

HannahKate~our "First" daughter

This one isn't really that artistic, but it is Joel and I standing in front of the restaurant where we went on our "first" date 25 years ago. That was the "beginning" of an era. Its actually not a restaurant anymore, but at least the building is still standing...

Front doors are the "first" thing you see when you enter a building.

So our "first" Photo Safari was a success. We managed to get out of the house and have a great day just being together...and it was free! I think this might be the "beginning" of a really fun summer.