{photo journal} long beach | part 1

Ahhh....memories of Long Beach, WA : ) I recently decided to edit most of what few photos I took during our road trip to this romantic beach over Valentine's weekend. Some of the pics are from my DSLR and the others are from my phone. I took most of them, and my mom and sister took a few too. I didn't take photos of everything, but I did also shoot a little video. The video is pretty cheesy and my hands shake a bit, but it sure reminds me of how much fun we had.  (I gave my mom the Secret Life of Walter Mitty Soundtrack as a Valentine's gift so we could listen to it on our road trip.  The song in this video is one of my favorite tracks.)

Lots of driving along the longest beach in the world. Soaking in the outdoor hot tub, staring at the multitude of stars (and even pretending to name a few). Blue sky and sunshine one minute, and crazy rain and wind the next. Exploring Astoria, OR for the first time and feeling butterflies as we walk closer towards the Goonies house.  Playing with my new Diana F+ camera.  Exploring, exploring, exploring. Watching a bald eagle relax and fly around us in the sand.  Feeling the salty wind in my face as I sit on the window ledge while we cruise along the water.  Pink cheeks.  Lots of smiles and laughter.  Laser tag.  XO

{tulip festival} roozen gaarde

 

Hello lovely peoples! Today I'm sharing the photos I took while visiting RoozenGaarde for the Tulip Festival last Saturday. The weather was perfect for taking nature pics with it being overcast and the rain holding off until just as we were walking towards the exit. Ryan and I went with his folks who are visiting from San Diego and we had the best time. I even brought home a souvenir in the shape of two tulip bouquets (you can see both of them sticking out of my backpack in the last photo).  There are a couple of my photos to view right here and instead of breaking all the pics up into two posts I decided to do a slideshow video!! Here it is. Enjoy (we sure did). XO

P.S.  Since the detail in the photos is so much better, I highly recommend watching this video in HD by clicking on the Roozen Gaarde | Tulip Festival 2013 link below the video box.
 

Roozen Gaarde | Tulip Festival 2013 from Carrie Elias on Vimeo.

 

Photos taken by me (except the ones of me taken by Ryan, and the one of Ryan and I taken by his mom). Photoshop actions by yours truly.

{fall photoshoot} she's having a baby | part 2

Today, here's part 2 of Amber's maternity photoshoot.....as well as some of the fun details I want to remember about this wonderful day:

• For Amber's outfit here I ended up buying some fabric and making the maternity tunic from this DIY.
• We stopped and got extra hot chai drinks to help keep us warm.  Amber and I added eggnog to ours (which is now my new favorite hot drink!).
• It rained all morning leading up to our venture, and miraculously stopped as we were getting ready to take photos.
• My little sister's dog, Jack came along with us and kept us entertained as we walked from one spot to the next with his cute way of casing leaves and hopping around (you can see a pic of him here in part 1).
• After taking photos, Amber, Ryan and I drove to Port Angeles to spend time with my Dad.  To our delightful surprise we ended up at Togas for their Octoberfest and chowed down on brats, sauerkraut and potato salad!  Heaven.
• We ended the day watching one of my favorite movies with Sarah, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  Pretty much the best day I could hope for.  XO

{fall photoshoot} she's having a baby | part 1

Last weekend Amber, my little sister and I went for a walk in the woods.  All the fall color was breathtaking.....and the perfect backdrop for some maternity photos.  My little sister was the assistant, holding our coffee cups, the extra cameras and lenses, Amber's jacket (when she wasn't wearing it in between shots), and making us laugh and smile all the while with her silly and sweet nature.  Amber was the model, glowing with warmth and happiness as she carried her growing belly.  And me?  I was one happy camper being able to take photos of such a lovely afternoon.  Here is part 1 of our little photoshoot.....