Friends

Our good friends, the Burts, are moving back to Massachusetts. Or "Mass" as they call it. They were here on a one-year work assignment with Mitch's company, so we knew it was coming, but it is still sad. I got to become good friends with Sue over the last year, Layla loves their daughter Ryleigh, and Mitch and Jeremy are not only co-workers, but friends as well.

Sue, Shelly, and I took our girls to Antelope Island for one last play group before the Burts move. We saw so many animals! Antelope, buffalo, and coyotes. And I only got one mosquito bite, though it was a nasty one and swelled up ginormous and actually hurt really bad for three days afterwards! But I digress. We got a few cute shots of the little girlies together and enjoyed seeing the sights.

I love how they're each looking at a different camera since
all 3 photo-happy mommies were shooting at the same time.

Contemplating life.

We'll miss you guys!

Over the weekend we met up with the Burts in Park City for a farewell dinner. We went to Main Street Pizza which was delicious! The girlies had fun and so did we. As a parting gift we gave them a calendar with pics of Utah National Parks, a cookie cutter in the shape of Utah, and a copy of The Book of Mormon. We did not expect anything from them, but they gave us a very thoughtful gift: a door knocker with our name engraved on it. I cannot wait to put it on the front door of our new house! It will match the door handle perfectly and I know it will look great. I'll have to post a pic of it here so they can see it once it's installed.

We would have loved to spend the rest of the evening browsing the shops of Park City with them, but I had an opportunity come up last minute to be the photographer for a green screen at a bar mitzvah, in Park City, nonetheless. A friend that I served my mission with works for a company who hires out DJs, photobooths, and green screens and his photographer bailed last minute. He new that I'm starting to take pics for people, so he asked me to help him. (I was hesitant at first, too nervous to commit, but my supportive husband believes in me and he talked me into saying yes. And I am so thankful he did. I wouldn't have the courage to move forward with this without his support.)

It was quite the experience! My first bar mitzvah and my first official photography session. Shooting for a green screen was fun because I got to help pose people according to which background they chose. After we took the pic, Spencer would photoshop them into the backgrounds that he and the bar mitzvah boy had designed. Some of them were hilarious! It was great to catch up with Spencer, and I had fun, and it was reconfirmed to me why I want to work my tail off to start my own photography business. I love it and it brings people happiness. With the money I earned from this gig, I was able to pay my tithing and have enough left over to buy a new Canon, 50 mm, f-1.8 lens, which I am SO excited about! It should be here this week and I can't wait to start shooting with it!

But I digress. Again. Back to the Burts. They are going to come visit as Jeremy has to come back on work-related business. Mitch and I are secretly (or not so secretly) hoping they will decide to move back permanently. But either way, it is nice to know that we will see them again. And if they don't move back, then Mitch and I will definitely go spend some time their way!

We will miss you guys! We wish you all the best on the path your lives take you next!