Good Times

We've had a lot of fun over the last few days catching up with all the peeps, and taking pictures, of course;

Brian is Back

Brian completed basic training, and has returned to central Illinois for 30 days leave. We had a small gathering of peeps last night to welcome him back, with another, much larger gathering planned for Tuesday.

More pictures coming soon.

Thanksgiving is Gone

But the memories are forever:

Return of the Peeps

Nick arrived home yesterday for Thanksgiving break, and now today we've seen a resurgence of peeps at the house. Tonight it was Nick, Drew and their friend Kamryn that stopped by to play some cards:

We had a great evening and hope the flurry of activity continues over the next week or so.

Missouri State Visit

Drove 6 hours to see Nick and Sarah last weekend, and to stock Nick up with groceries. We also took in a movie called The Accountant, which I thought was pretty good.

Banyan Tree

Pill Box

Luau

Waikiki Beach

Rabbit Island

Pearl Harbor

Makapuu Point Light

Snorkeling in Hanauma Bay

Turtles all the Way Down

One of our greatest experiences on our trip to Hawaii was swimming with and photographing giant sea turtles:

This was just one of many groups of sea turtles we encountered that were quietly resting on Hawaii's beaches. One larger group consisted of nearly 30 turtles:

More Hawaii pictures coming soon...

Hawaii!!

Michele and I just returned from a two week trip to Hawaii, and it was amazing.

More pictures coming soon...

Dolly Loves Windows

Dolly loves to sit by a window and watch the birds outside:

Alex is on His Way to Northern Ireland

Good luck Alex! Hope you have a great time in Europe!

Update 9/13/2016 - Alex texted us this morning at 4:30 to tell us his plane has landed safely in Belfast.

Brian Joined the Marine Corps

Today we watched as Brian left for basic training. It felt like we were sending off one of our own kids, as Brian has been a part of our extended family since he was in kindergarten with our youngest son Nick.

Good luck Brian! Semper Fi!

Illinois State vs Valparaiso

Yesterday's highlight was college football at Hancock stadium, where Illinois State obliterated the Valparaiso Crusaders. There was a crusade alright, but the Crusaders were on the receiving end of it.

Here are just a few of the highlights that began with some tailgating in the RedBird Tent Zone:

The last photo pretty much sums up the night. The final score of the game was 50 to 13.

Finally!

For about 5 years now, I've envisioned shooting a majestic photo featuring a local church in the shadow of an ominous growing storm system. That church is Calvary United Methodist church in Normal, IL, which is located about a mile from my house.

Last week, as Michele and I were leaving the house to eat at a local Chipotle, I spotted an incredible storm system growing to the North of us. Without hesitation, I turned the car around, drove home to get my camera, and detoured for the church parking lot.

Michele was hungry, and at this point not too happy, but the photographer in me was on a mission, and nothing was going to stop me from photographing this:

2016 Sweet Corn Blues Festival

It's that time of year again when Uptown Normal proudly features its annual Sweet Corn Blues Festival. This year we took a pass on the sweet corn, as we just weren't feeling it. Instead, we headed over to The Rock restaurant and feasted on gyros, Then we ventured out and listened to some blues from the stage at the roundabout:

With food in our bellies and smiles on our faces we wandered home knowing that this adventure was definitely worth our time.