My First Engagement Photo Shoot

This weekend I did my very first practice engagement photo shoot. Some friends of ours are getting married in a few weeks and I offered to take some photos for them as a favor and practice for myself. So off we went to Malibu for a photoshoot. It was a typical Cali gloomy beach day. So the backdrop was a bit gray, but overall I think we got some good shots. Take a peak into the photoshoot.
See the rest of there Album for more photos.

Home is where the heart is

This past weekend, I took a weekend trip to MD to visit my family and ensure my bridesmaid dress fits prior to Brenda’s Wedding. The weekend was pretty uneventful. I pretty much hung out at my parent’s house. We did order crabs for Sat night, then I spent Sunday wandering around DC with Brenda. I did take the camera and tried to take some photos, although there wasn’t a lot to take on this trip. I did capture some photos of flowers in spring bloom and some scenes around Carroll County. What do you think??? Leave me comments, Please!



I have to say it seems to get weirder and weirder every time I go back. I mean I start to feel more out of place there. It’s funny that when I lived in FL I always still considered MD my home, but I think that’s because I really disliked FL and it always felt temporary to me. But once I moved to Cali and got comfortable, I think I lost that feeling of MD being my home. I now have a house, husband, and good job in Cali, which doesn’t feel temporary at all, but much more permanent. I love Cali and all the things to do, the desert may not be so great, but it’s worth it for everything we get to do. I actually now consider CA my home and MD seems so far away and strange. It truly is amazing how things change over a certain period of time. I think I now think of MD as more of my childhood and CA and my grown up and on my own home. But I like that. I always liked MD and probably took it for granted when I lived there. But I really love Cali. I don’t know if it is really the difference of hating FL and loving Cali or if it’s just the fact that I love my job and I love being married Dave. Maybe it’s just a combination of all things. But moving out here was definatly like starting off a fresh clean slate.

A return visit to the Vasquez Rocks

So today we returned to the Vasquez rocks...this time to actually play and climb the rocks. We enjoyed climbing the big rocks for a couple of hours. Dave and I even shared a small bottle of wine on top of the rocks. It was a lot of fun acting like monkeys and climbing all over the place.

Also, it looks like were going back to Yosemite this summer and we'll most likely be hiking back to Half Dome!!! Oh Boy! And this time I'm making up those cables, as I think we're going to plan to be on the trail by 6am! I got up at 7 this morning to reserve campsites and I actually got 2 campsites next to each other on the valley floor! Those are always so hard to get, but I guess with it being a Sunday it was much easier. It'll be a lot more convenient to hike to Half Dome form the valley floor rather than having to make the 1 hour drive to the trail head.

Gotta love it!

While we were in Big Sur we stumbled upon a field of wild lillies! I've never seen anything like it before. I of course had tons of fun snapping photos. It was an overcast day so my photos were exposed so the flower was nice and bright but the background was real dark. Here are some of the photos!

This past week in the high desert has been crazy. We normally have lots of wind, but this week has been like a tropical storm but without the precipitation. Today we had sustained winds of 35-40mph and gusts to almost 60mph!! CRAZYEEE! This weekend Dave and I will be home, although we may go hiking nearby. Watch for photos.

Wine, Scenic Views, and More Wine

This past weekend was our camping trip to Big Sur. We left on Thursday afternoon and drove to San Simeon where we stayed in a hotel for the night. We left early in order to arrive at the beach by sunset. However, a huge bank of clouds off shore prevented the sunset from being spectacular. In fact there was hardly a sunset at all. So instead to wandered around the beach looking for seals and we spotted a few. Then it was off to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant and some wine at the hot tub. We woke up early Friday morning to visit the Elephant Seals and drive up the PCH on a very overcast day. The sights were still nice, although not very picture worthy with the fog. So we kept going to Monterey and arrived in the late morning. We then visited some wine tasting rooms while we waited for our friends from San Francisco to arrive. We later met them on Cannery Row and had lunch. Then it was off to the foothills to a few more wine tasting rooms. Friday night we checked into our campsite, cooked dinner, and drank some wine. It was arelaly nice night. The campsite was okay although they were rather cramped and close. Saturday we woke up to go do some hiking and take in the sights. I of course took tons of photos. On sunday we ended up at Point Lobos State Reserve to hike a little bit and admire more of the coast. We go to see several seals there too. We parted ways in the afternoon. Dave and I drove the scenic way to get to the highway. Then stopped in Paso Robles to find a few of the open wineries. We ended up at two here, EOS and Tobin James. Tobin James was a lot of fun. Real relaxed and very good wines. Then we ate a picnic dinner and headed home.

More Big Sur photos.

I Love the Terps!

You have to admit having a history like this is pretty darn sweet! I love the Terps! It’s almost like I never have to wonder if they are going to be good at the beginning of the season. I already know they will be!

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland men's basketball team finished the year ranked 18th in the latest Associated Press poll and 23rd in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, released April 3. It is the seventh time in the last nine years that the Terps have placed in both final polls. The Terrapins concluded the season with a record of 25-9 and advanced to the second round of the Midwest Regional in the NCAA Tournament.
Maryland has appeared in each poll 14 consecutive years, dating back to the 1992-93 season. The Terrapins have been ranked in the Associated Press poll 351 times, and have placed in the coaches poll 326 times.
The Terrapins peaked at No. 19 in the November 29 coaches poll, while their highest ranking in the AP poll was March 5th, when the Terps were ranked 17th. Maryland appeared in each of the final three polls this year.
The Terps made their 14th consecutive postseason appearance this year with their trip to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed. Maryland's 25 victories were the fourth-highest win total for any Gary Williams-led team, while four Terrapins earned all-conference accolades.

This is something the Gators defiantly can’t claim! I can’t wait til next year! GO TURTLES!

Easter Weekend 2007

Where in Cali will the Schankers be this weekend?...camping in Big Sur. if you don't know where Big Sur is it is about 20 miles south of Monterey on the coast along the PCH. We will be camping at the state park there. We really have no plans really, but it'll probably involve some hiking, some wine, and a few campfires. It looks like we will be seeing a couple of friends while we are up there to. We're both pretty excited and for once we both have a three day weekend. It's going to be tons o fun! I love the area up there. Besides the Sierras it's my favorite place in Cali. I love the scenery and seeing all the seals and sea otters.

This past weekend: Was pretty uneventful for us. We were hard at work getting things done around the house. Another 2-3 hour power outage on Saturday kept me from working on the Crown Molding. But I did finish the paint in the kitchen plus a few other odds and ends.

The new color in the kitchen

Dave worked very hard on our lawn. Some of those cold winter nights this year were pretty harsh on the grass and apparently our sprinkler system too. As Dave pretty much decided to replace all the sprinkler heads. He also fertilized so hopefully we’ll have a really green yard in no time. It’s crazy, I’m still not used to getting brown grass in the winter as FL never got cold enough for that to happen. Saturday night we decided we had worked hard so we went to dinner at Famous Dave’s and then watched a movie at home. Sunday we went to have our Kitchen designed and get the quote. Oh boy! We still have decisions to make before we make it all final. I also got the bike out this weekend and got it ready to ride. So Sunday evening I went out for about an hour and half. I rode through the desert. Its kind of eeiry out there at times…no one around, just vast land with lots of sage brush. It was kind of relaxing just being out there pedaling along. In May I am doing the Tour De Cure and will be riding 30 miles. I didn’t sign up for the 65 mile ride, because I was unsure if I should go that far since I haven’t been biking much. I’m in great shape, but I didn’t know about biking shape. The mileage I did on Sunday was pretty easy and I didn’t even feel tired when I got home (running is so much more intensive then biking). So riding for a few hours shouldn’t be a problem. Don’t forget if you want to donate to the Diabetes Association for the Tour De Cure…click here. I appreciate any donations that can be made.