Photo Album Tour

So the other day I was looking through the photo album that I put together for myself before I moved to Ecuador. I'd missed having pictures with me in previous international trips, so I made a travel album to look through when I missed family and home. I decided to share some my favorite photos with you. Enjoy!

This is my 6 month picture. I know. I'm adorable. See how squishy I am? Don't you just want to reach out and pick me up? I know I do. Watch out for the slobber, though. Apparently I was a well-hydrated infant.

Here's a shot of Brittony, Josh, and me after a particularly enjoyable puddle-spashing event. You can see Dad's Hobart truck in the background, along with the chicken house. When I look at this picture I think how our world would be a better place if we could all grow up on farms. (bonus points if you can tell which is me and which is Brittony)

This is one of my favorite pictures of my mom. For those of you who never had the pleasure of meeting my mom, let me warn you that this isn't a particularly flattering shot, but I like it a lot because it reminds me of just hanging out with Mom. She was a big fan of the puffy Cheetos, which reveals that she was not perfect (since crunchy Cheetos are clearly superior to the puffy kind). I miss her. And I have zero recollection as to why she's imitating a rabbit.

I LOVE this picture of us. You know that time in life when you're absolutely positive that your dad is the biggest, strongest dad in the world? Well, I have the picture to prove it. He could hold ALL THREE OF US- AT THE SAME TIME!!

This fantastic picture was taken right after I got home from studying abroad in Russia. Can you guess how I know this? Yes, that's an authentic Russian fur hat. I think that thing got passed around a lot that Christmas. Please note a few touches that make this picture particularly endearing to me. Josh seems to be singing Christmas carols...all by himself. I am wearing Christmas bulb earrings. The tree is really crooked. Shout out to my WM4W girls! And if you look really closely, you can see the ghetto-style TV rabbit-ears thing in the background.

Doesn't Dad look like a little kid in a snowsuit?!? Mom got him some new coveralls that Christmas, and they're a little stiff. Hee-hee!!

This is my freshman dorm room. Please note the delightful "black-but-orange" curtains in the background. The curtains were so named by my roomy, Joy, because they were nasty-dirty and so, a little bit black. We are posed this way because we're trying to look studious. Please notice that, while Joy is pulling off the look pretty well, I just appear to be picking my nose. Please also note that my freshman year of college was still the era of desktop pc's. Sometimes I think about how much less carrying my dad would have had to do if the three of us had been in college after the laptop boom. Sorry Dad! :)

While I lived in China, I got a couple chances to go to "hometowns" with various students and experience China outside the metropolises. Why are Joy and I holding this girl? I cannot recall. I'm sure there was a good reason. Whatever the situation was, we do seem to be having a good time, right?

This one is my ALL-TIME favorite picture of my dad with his family. Please look closely with me. First of all, Dad is smiling a REAL smile, which rarely happens. Secondly, notice that two of the three sisters (Aunt Myra on the left and Aunt Bev on the right) are looking at my dad admiringly. Aunt Rita isn't looking at anyone, because she is so overcome with mirth at whatever Dad just said. And Grandpa and Grandma? They look like they're in a whole different picture, right? Both very proper, apparently unaware of the chaos their son is causing above them. I can't help but smile every time I look at this picture.

Mom and Dad were always game for us bringing friends home to visit, so I took them up on it alot. This is a birthday party, I think my senior year of college. Here are some things that make me happy about this picture: I'm surrounded by friends. My cute-funny mom is there. There's a batch of Mom's A-maz-ing homemade Oreo ice-cream on the table. There's a can of Diet Dr. Pepper in front of me. We're in my house. I miss all of these things. But I'm so thankful to have had them at one time, and even more thankful that I will have them again in the future.

This is from China again. Strange things happened to me in China. Sometimes I would find myself coloring Easter eggs with one hand and chasing down the tiny-but-potent mosquitoes which never died in Guangzhou's temperate climate. (they just came inside when it got cold outside) Here is photo documentation of those two things happening. (the racket is electrified with a battery, so if you swing it at a mosquito, the bug gets zapped. Very satisfying. I would regularly count bites on my legs, just from the knees down, and get numbers above 50. Nasty.)

Here's a picture from just a couple summers ago. This is the beach near where Mom wanted her ashes scattered. The family flew to Oregon for my cousin's wedding that summer, and we made a trip to this spot. We're on the tricky rock, which lures you into thinking that if you get up on it between waves, you won't get wet. And this is true...until that odd wave comes in (maybe every 10th or so wave) that's bigger than the others and you get a nice, refreshing bath. :)

And how could I miss a chance to look at some snow, at this, the beginning of my third snow-free winter? This was a funny afternoon. A bunch of my grad school friends decided to go tubing in one of the suburbs of Chicago. City people do everything weird. First, you have to go to a special place. Then you have to rent their tubes. Then you hike up the hill and stand in line until the GUARDS tell you you can go!! Isn't that crazy? Like people can't figure out how to sled without direction and moderation! Anyway, we had fun in spite of the ridiculousness of the situation.

And that brings us to the end of our stroll down my memory lane. I hope you enjoyed the trip.