Photo Hunt #2 - Bright

In this picture, from front to back, Ricky, Ziya, Kali, neighborboy, Heidi (partially cut off).

Ok the photo hunt theme of the week is bright, I didn't want to go obvious with brightness, I was planning on having just the perfect picture of one of the boys smiling extra brightly, so I proceded to take a whole slew of pictures of Ricky, even got a few good ones of Adrien smiling, but none of them screamed BRIGHT! So I went to find the pictures that were really bright. This one was taken at the birthday party that Adrien shared with his friend Avari. It's a picture of the older kids at the party but it was a very sunny day and any picture I tried to take of them on the water, where it wasn't shaded, came out way too bright!

This is an exercise I found in my cousin Candidkarina's blog. She did it a while ago, but it's always a fun way to be poetic. Specially for those of us that aren't very good at being poetic naturally. So this is a little bit about me. I apologize to those who don't speak Portuguese for some of the words, but you'll still enjoy it. You can still ask me what the words mean and I'll explain! Click on the title below for your own template to this cool poem.


Where I'm From:


I am from Maria Cookies, from Ovaltine and Sopas de café com leite.
I am from the built from the ground up by Dad, house in a village in Africa, sounds of dogs barking and children playing, low light throughout the house and a soft breeze through opposite doors in an open barn-like living room and kitchenette.
I am from the botanical gardens, juicy flowers, black beaches, the long grass, forget-me-nots, days of rolling down the grassy hills.
I am from opening Christmas gifts at midnight on Christmas Eve and sharing a long dinner before, from Vovos from Portugal, and tios and cousins, and Grandma and Grandpa Melo.
I am from the computer games and programming and late nights with Dad.
From nostalgic songs that replaced lullabies, and Portuguese nursery rhymes.
I am from atheism with strong moral beliefs, learning about faith through the hunger for friendship, feeling the Holy Spirit invade me and never let go, struggling to accept Jesus within my logical brain.
I'm from Luanda, Madeira, Alentejo, and moving from place to place. From Muamba, feijoada, and mom’s steak and French fries.
From the Christmas nights of daddy dressing up as Santa Claus, the stories mom told us about Angola at the dinner table, Tia singing along with Cats and Dogs Christmas tunes “Woof Woof Woof, Woof Woof Woof…”
I am from drawers full of memories left behind, file cabinets jammed with pictures, albums of Polaroid’s portraying years of summer vacations.
I am from love and Family. Paula

PhotoHunt#1: Water

PhotoHunt

I'm Starting this blogging thing with an easy thing to do, just add a picture that follows this photohunt theme. So here's mine. It's my oldest baby, REM is 4 years old, and he knows how to have a good time in the bath. I was going to post a different picture of him, but we've recently changed computer and those pictures are on a disc somewhere. Enjoy!