Landscapes – Page 22 – M. Sullivan Photography

With Valentine’s Day falling on a Tuesday this week, it didn’t offer much opportunity for romance. Mike and I weren’t even able to fit in a lunch date this year. While I was at work, Mike was chaperoning Sebastian’s class ski trip to Spirit Mountain. He did have a great time and had a fun group of skiers that he was with throughout the day. My lunch date ended up being with Daphne. She seemed pretty happy about it. I even gave her an extra dog treat because it was Valentine’s Day. I had given up much hope for anything Valentine’s related in my day, when these arrived for me in the afternoon.

I was also greeted with six chocolate-dipped strawberries from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory when I got home. I fought the temptation to devour one and instead got a quick run on the treadmill in while Mike got dinner for the kids. When I finished my workout, I put together dinner for Mike and me. By the time our risotto was finished cooking, Mike had only 5 minutes before he needed to leave with Sebastian to basketball practice. He ate a few bites and then headed out with Sebastian. I was planning to wait to eat until he got home so that we could share our dinner together, but I was hungry and the risotto looked too good (with Italian sausage, red & yellow peppers, parmesan cheese and fresh cracked pepper). I finished eating just as he walked back in the door. We did enjoy chocolate-dipped strawberries after the kids went to bed. We had enough leftover risotto that we ate more for lunch the next day along with a couple of the chocolate-dipped strawberries. Even though I think we still deserve a night with just the two of us, I can’t help but be thankful that our days are busy and full with our kids and activities that make us a family.

The kids are looking forward to their winter break from school this coming week. We don’t have a big trip planned, but the kids will get a mix of time at daycare and time at home. The kids are excited to see friends at daycare that they haven’t seen for a while. We also have some fun things planned to do in town and are looking forward to a week off from evening activities, homework and packing lunches.

Mike and I are both tired after a late night out last night. We were invited to a dinner at a co-worker’s house. There were three couples in all. We had a nice evening filled with wonderful food, great stories, music and even some Pictionary. We got home way too late, but enjoyed our time socializing with adults. Morning came early when Daphne wanted to get let out at 6:45 this morning. The sun was coming up, but I wasn’t ready to be up. Despite my grogginess, I noticed the sherbet colored skies outside. Half-asleep and in my bathrobe, I took a quick snapshot through our front window. Even though I would have loved to stay up and watch the sunrise, I was too exhausted and went back to bed. I’m sure it was quite amazing though.

Mike was leaving to pick up Sophia from her class tonight and came back inside to persuade me to come out and look at the moon. It was just beginning to come up over the horizon through the trees. Last night was actually the full moon, but tonight’s moon didn’t disappoint. Because we are in a residential area with lots of trees and houses, I grabbed my camera and hopped in the car with Mike hoping I could get a better shot from the parking lot at the church where Sophia’s class was. While Mike went in to collect Sophia, I took a few images resting the camera on the fence surrounding the parking lot. I didn’t bother to bring a tripod since we were rushing to get there on time, so the fence was the best I could do. I also realized that I really need a longer zoom lens. I’ve been saying that for a while, but maybe this is the year. Even with the lack of equipment, I’m glad I took a few minutes out of our busy evening to capture this image.