So after several days of mostly relaxing here in Carefree, I have really been able to start collecting my thoughts and have so many things to start telling you in the coming days. But more on that later.  Right now, 5 thoughts that are amusing in my mind. 1.  Great friends are the people who you can pick up with and fall back into conversation like you just saw each other the day before, even after a year.  And then you realize that it shouldn't be so long until your next conversation. 2.  I forgot how gorgeous the open sky can be at night.  Living close to Memphis and all of the light that comes from there has caused me to forget.  The night sky here is unbelievably cool.  It really gives you perspective. 3.  I still managed to see some football this weekend, and it was a crazy weekend.  Three upsets, especially Arizona

Last week, my new camera and lens combo arrived.  Unfortunately, I was so busy working on images that I didn't get a chance to really play with it.  Trust me, you will see lots of cool stuff about that soon. But I couldn't resist shooting a few frames to give it a test run.  And since I didn't have any photos of Rory, I decided to test it on her.  She wasn't super thrilled that I interrupted her nap, but she obliged me with some really cute stuff.  She is a six month old tortoise shell that I rescued from DARS almost a month ago.  And for those who might wonder, I named her after Rory Gilmore from the Gilmore Girls. On to the pics...

Ok.  So I promise to provide you with better photos in the upcoming posts, but I had to show these off. Ever since I've known Lisa, I've heard about "In N Out" burgers and how amazing they are.  So last night, I was heading to Wal-Mart with some of my favorite people, the Zettls from St. Louie, and we spotted one.  One side note.  The Wal-Mart was THE coolest one I had ever seen.  It was ultra clean and had a full liquor section with really nice wines too.  Unbelievable. So we stopped at In N Out on the way back to the resort, and I have to say that was the best burger (and almost the best fries) ever to grace my lips on the way to my stomach. I only had my iphone at that point, so you'll have to make do with these. Enjoy the pics...

Ok.  So it's been a really long day so far, but I had to show you the view out my window on the way from Memphis. I'll show you some more images from the trip very soon. Excuse the quality as it's from my iphone. On to the pic...

Ok.  So it's day four and I have to tell you that the next two weeks have loads of incredible images coming your way.  But today, you get me.  In case you don't get the clue in that last statement, I'll tell you straight up that I prefer being behind the camera much more than in front of it.  When I went home over Thanksgiving, my good friend Kelly Moore Clark agreed to do some new portraits of me.  And while we were there, I took one of her.  It was great to learn some new stuff with the radio poppers (see top 10 list on Day One). Also, it was great to see how much I changed last year.  I was once in really great shape, but being behind a computer working on images numerous hours per week can definitely cause you to add some pounds...especially when Ben & Jerry keep