*testing*

Compare that to my old camera and Bela eating cat grass.

HD video on my tiny new Canon is so cool.

Frankly, all we did was work in 2011. It was a tough year in that respect but we were grateful to have all the opportunities. Dale had a photography studio and building it kept him ridiculously busy.

I started my own freelance business and was buried up to my neck from about June on.

We went to Minnesota’s North Shore for vacation and it was quite cute. We didn’t go on any camping trips but we did make a quick trip to Saugatuck for our anniversary. That was nice! We really needed to get away.

I made a quick trip to Grand Rapids to meet up with my dear friends Rebecca & Heather and had a great time. Sadly, my camera broke on that trip and I was without one until this weekend–Dale got me a new one for Christmas! Yay!

We were lucky to have a few guests this year and we enjoyed each visit immensely. Love to have company.

I bought an American Girl doll named Molly when Betsy, Bryan and their kids came to visit. We had tea at American Girl. It was the most fun tea party I ever had! Am now obsessed with buying outfits for Molly. I’ll have to post her Christmas present unwrapping photo shoot that Dale did. He had more fun with it than I did, I think. Ha!

We threw a party on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it was a lot of fun.

Bela and Monty continued to be cute and cuddly and all kinds of adorable pets.

Christmas was a whirlwind weekend trip to Flint and back–nice but very fast and we didn’t get to catch up  with as many people as we would have liked.

As for 2012? We plan to have a little more fun. We hope to enjoy camping, and Dale is looking forward to playing with his new telescope then (he’s been making accessories for it and researching astronomy during every spare second).

I have fantasies of being more athletic. And maybe taking an archery class! And hiking more. And continuing to grow my freelance business.

We might buy a house this year (we’re just starting to look). I will get my master’s degree in the spring and turn 40 (eek). And our 10th anniversary will happen in October (we’re already planning a trip). So I also hope to get it together and back to having little adventures and blogging about them. For posterity, if nothing else.

Dale went to a hot rod open house waaaaaaaaaaaaay back in March. And here are the photos! Click on any one to make it big and pretty.

Pumpkin Patch, Cider Hut, all Around Fall Spectacle.

Picking apples. I'm a dork.

Jollay Orchards. Jollay Good Times.

I might have been obsessed with the industrial apple cider mill.

Apples! Smashed!

Fog.

Grand Rapids.

Grand Rapids.

Our feast!

Waiting on Lyle.

Lyle and the band by the glow of our candle!

Great show, fun date night!

Waaay back in February my cousin Randy came to visit and brought his sons Colton and Jack! They are great kids (and welcomed their new little brother Matthew this summer). While they were here we took them to Shedd Aquarium and the Museum of Science and Industry.

In April we painted our living room (after having a hole in our ceiling for two months that our crap-ass landlords wouldn’t take care of because the former owners were in bankruptcy. To celebrate having a ceiling we painted! And it looks ADORABLE (in my humble opinion).

I love the red wall. But I also love that I broke with tradition and made a bold color choice! Red, yellow/green, and dark blue. And it works, very weirdly. I used my color wheel!

 In May I turned 39 (*gasp*) and wrapped up Year Two of Graduate School! Only one year to go! I had to make a poster board presentation. Had never done that before and mine turned out bee-yoo-ti-ful! I did it on Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio.

Dale has had a busy summer, to say the least. He’s been building a huge photography studio. This is what it started out as! This is what it looked like back in May when he purchased the materials for the build out.

Dale’s pretty handy! He built an infinity wall. This is the bare bones.

In June my dear friends Sarah and Betsy came to visit. And I got the bright idea to dye my hair red. And it turned pink. For real. I had read dye all over my skin so I had had to hide it with a scarf. Might be the last time I dye my hair while drinking wine with friends. Might not be! Life is short. I’m thinking blue hair for my 40th.

While the girls were here we went to Ravinia to see The Go-Go’s. Rebecca P. tagged along and that was fun! And, as always, it was a feast!

We went on an architecture tour and went to Navy Pier to get some Ryba’s Fudge. We were fudge girls together in 1993! Which makes me 87 years old.

Throughout the spring Monty and Bela continued on being adorable. Blurry because it was taken with my camera phone.

We had a few other adventures, too, but I don’t have good pics of those so it’s my loss. And yours. Sadness. More updates to come…

]]> http://www.dale-murray.com/oakpark/2011/08/what-the-hell-have-we-been-up-to.html/feed 0 http://www.dale-murray.com/oakpark/2011/07/root-beer-reviews-on-the-road.html http://www.dale-murray.com/oakpark/2011/07/root-beer-reviews-on-the-road.html#comments Sun, 17 Jul 2011 20:31:45 +0000 Rebecca http://www.dale-murray.com/oakpark/2011/07/root-beer-reviews-on-the-road.html Continue reading →]]>

Frostop
Duluth, MN

Dale: Smooth with a presence but had a light quality about it. It’s a summer root beer, not a winter. Leaves a light palate with just a hint of after taste.

Rebecca: Strong essential root beer-ness. It starts bold but finishes smooth.

Combined score: 7.5/10

Shia LaBeouf & cast/crew filming across the street from my office in August 2010.

An overview of the “set” across the street from my old office.

And then the roof exploded! The third floor was fake and added just to be blown off. Neat!

Josh Duhamel on set (on Wabash). I was on the train platform.

Shia and Josh are being flung up and down. Looks really cool in the movie!

Shia lying on the hood of Bumblebee!

A quick video of flying Shia and Josh!

The overview shots Dale took are still here: www.dale-murray.com/transformers