I met up with my friend and fellow photographer, Jackie, of Jean Photography just to take some fun pictures of each other. I wanted to scout out a new location to see if it would work for photos, and I just like hanging out with Jackie because she’s just so darn cool and I always learn a lot from her. I’m always the one behind the camera so its very good for me to have my picture taken once in awhile. It helps me understand how you feel. It makes me aware of how hard it sometimes is to look natural. It also reminds me that good direction from the photographer not only makes the subject feel more comfortable, but also results in a beautiful natural photo.

Without futher delay, I present the sweet, fun and beautiful Jackie…

I love the reflection of the sky in her glasses, and she has such a fun expression.

Hot!!!

Isn’t she the cutest?

love her expression here too along with the gorgeous side lighting

we were taking pictures of each other at the same time.

And this is me… These are so tough for me to post because I’m not a fan of looking at a picture of myself, but figured you guys would like to see the photographer behind the camera.

People were saying that I look like the blonde girl, Elliot, on Scrubs. Its hard for me to see because I just see me, you know? What do you think?

I usually wear lip gloss. I couldn’t find it so I put lip liner on. Note to self: stick with lip gloss.

I love this one. I think its really cool. I showed my husband and he said “cheesey” (if you know my husband, you aren’t surprised by his comment). Not cheesey because of the beautiful photo Jackie took, but cheesey because he knows I don’t wear aviator glasses.

Last weekend was my birthday. I had a really nice day. I went to the zoo with my husband and the kids in the morning and got my hair cut in the afternoon. I ate well. Had Swedish pancakes with bananas, blueberries, a squeeze of lemon and powdered sugar for breakfast and delicious BLTs with salt & vinegar chips for dinner. It was a good day.

That night, my husband told me his brother was bringing his computer over for my husband to fix because it was attacked by a virus. At 9pm there was a knock on the door. My husband said he needed help bringing the computers in (weird – not the kind of thing he would need help with). I opened the door and saw some guy looking down at a piece of paper holding roses. He talked funny and said “uh, delivery for Miss Kristina Allori”. It took me about three seconds to go from being surprised that my husband got me flowers, to wonder why they were being delivered so late at night, to wondering why the delivery guy was kind of weird, to realizing that it was my dad! He flew up from CA for a visit! It was truly the best birthday surprise!

On Saturday we went to the Tulip Festival with my dad, my sister and her two boys, the hubby, my stepson, my two little ones, and my mommy. It was a really nice day.

My sister is going to die when she sees how cute this pic turned out. My nephews ADORE Papa.

Papa with my little man. I know, I know. It just doesn’t get any cuter than big squishy cheeks and a newsboy cap.

We actually managed to get a pic of my dad with all four kids at least looking in the general direction. By the time we tried to get pics of the grandkids with my mom, we lost my oldest nephew. We are lucky enough to have my mom live close by so we can try again for a group pic. My daughter wasn’t really in the mood for pictures that day.

My two little ones exploring the hazelnut groves.

Who’s that in the middle? I guess you don’t get to see me too often because I’m always the one behind the camera.

Nope. You can’t have him. That adorable little Pudge is all mine. I tried a texture on this photo. You like?

If you go to the tulips on the weekend, they have all sorts of fun stuff like face painting, swings, activities for the kids, and good food! This little guy has one of the best personalities and he’s so adorable. I’m not just saying that cuz he’s my nephew either. He and my daughter love to hold hands.

This is me trying to pan the camera. Ideally she would have been in focus and only the background would have been blurred, but I’ll take what I can get. I want one of these swings. Its made out of a single tire but is in the shape of a horse. Man she’s cute.

And the best part of Papa’s visit? Pajama time in the morning! She used my dad’s gut as a trampoline. He got her back with tickles. (that green thing is a string from a balloon – I was too lazy to clone it out)

… and this little piggy ran wee wee wee wee wee all the way home!

Love you dad! Thank you so much for coming up to visit. We miss you!!!