friends

Remember that one Labor Day morning when we got up super early and it was raining like crazy, and we dressed up crazy and then piled into the car with all our friends to go run?  I do. :)

All dressed in white from our heads to our toes.  Janel was our fearless driver for team "Runbow Brites", navigating through rain and traffic, weaving us into prime positioning.  It still took us an hour to get there!  But perhaps that made the anticipation more fun.

Leslie, LaDonna, Nichole, myself & Janel all became lifelong friends in that fun little hour of driving. We also learned that Janel fits right into the Barber Motorsports Speedway! hah!

I'm all in when an event involves getting dressed up.  Costumes are so fun - bandana do-rag, a cheek tattoo, tall socks, and an armband (to hold my phone, which was safely protected by a zip-lock baggie).  Ben made fun of me, but I fit RIGHT in!

Across town, the rest of our team was getting ready too.  Say hi to Tom & Kortney:

And the lovely Deb (and her boy Wesley--who was a spectator this time):

Amazingly, we ended up parking right next to Zach, Ben, and Jonathan (who took a shorter route and got there at the same time as us...even though they left 30 minutes later).  

Here we are...already getting wet, but still sparkly white:

Once we all finally arrived, and managed to find each other (we hooked up with Tom & Kortney and Deb once we got to the race), we hopped into the starting line, and were on our way!

I managed to catch sight of Ben, Zach and the kids as we were running by toward the start of the race -- cold, shivering and wet little color watchers:

The 5K race went pretty quickly.  It rained the whole time, we got pelted with color several times along the way, and we arrived at the finish line about 30 minutes later, completely soaked -- and mostly colorful.

Just to make sure, we got an extra dose of color as we unloaded our own color packets at the finish line.

We tried hard to locate all our team members and get a team "after" photo, but this conglomerate will have to do. 

There were just too many people, too much rain, and the kids (and dad's) were not so interested in sticking around in the rain much longer.

In some ways, the rain was wonderful. We kept cool, and the water felt great while we were running.  But, since the rain made it hard for our spectator families to enjoy themselves thoroughly (or take many photos) it did make the whole event feel a little rushed. 

It was lots of fun, but I would have liked to savor a little more of it, dance to the music, and take more photos (of course).  Thank goodness for husbands, facebook, and smart phones!  In the midst of the rain and powder, we managed to get some pretty good shots...without breaking any cameras.

I'd totally do it again.  But I think I'd hope for better weather next time! ;) Thanks girls for coming on this crazy ride with me!

I have so many talented and crafty friends. And just like me, many of them are working hard to use their talents to help bring in a little extra income for their families. I wanted to share some of their business ventures and crafty products with you and ask that you give each of them a quick look. Some of these great gift ideas might be *just right* for someone on your shopping list this year!

Elizabeth Bailey / E.Bailey Photography

Elizabeth Bailey is a photographer who specializes in newborn, children, and family portraiture in the Birmingham, AL area. She is available for on location and studio sessions. She blends traditional and contemporary posing, by taking cues from the personality of each child. She wants each session to be fun and enjoyable for everyone involved. You will enjoy a gallery full of carefully edited images that are a reflection of your child's true personality. Elizabeth offers a variety of prints options, as well as albums, storyboards, custom cards, gallery wrapped canvases, and digital collections.

Join her on Facebook to get the latest information!

Andrea's Blog Special
For the month of November: Contact me and mention that you saw this post on Andrea's blog and you can purchase a gift certificate for a session fee and enjoy $50 in print credit. That is a $125 value for $75. Gift Certificate will be good through December 2011. Give as a gift or keep for yourself!

Contact Elizabeth to purchase your gift certificate or schedule a session:
elizabeth@ebaileyphotography.com, 205-276-7219

Brina Bujkovsky / The Younique Boutique, inc.

Brina makes all sorts of heirloom quality hand painted ceramics, photo gifts, personalized name prints and more!

Rebecca Falkins / Lia Sophia Jewelry Advisor

Rebecca is a Lia Sophia jewelry advisor and loves holding jewelry parties in ladies' homes! It is a fun night of games, trying on beautiful jewelry and eating yummy snacks. Lia Sophia jewelry is coated in rodium and gold so no allergies or tarnishing. All of their jewelry has a lifetime guarantee!

To book a party, just visit her website at www.liasophia.com/rebeccafalkins! We give so much to our hostesses as a thank-you for letting us enjoy your home.

Sara Lohse / Purpose Driven Creations

Sara makes Sanity Sacs. A "Sanity Sac" is a hands-on discovery pillow that has many little treasures hidden inside of it, making it a self-contained toy perfect for traveling, waiting at the doctor's office, church, etc. These 5" x 7" fleece pillows have a clear viewing window, allowing the child to see the items in the bag... they are hidden amongst small poly-pellets. A laminated reference tag is attached (which includes pictures & a list of the items to be found). Great for ages 3-103!

Libby Pritchett / Libby Pritchett Designs

Libby designs digital scrapbooking supplies that can be used to create layouts digitally or printed to make paper layouts or altered art. Her collection includes a range of products including papers, alphabets, element sets, templates, etc.

The calendar template shown on the left can be used with your choice of digital scrapbooking kits. This is perfect for month in review pages, monthly "to do" calendars, or even calendar Christmas gifts. The Advent Calendar on the right is pre-designed and can be simply printed and assembled!

Shirley Ross / Close to My Heart Consultant

Shirley is an Independent Consultant for Close To My Heart stamping and scrapbooking supplies - and loving it! She is a self-proclaimed addict to all things papercrafting and loves to share what she learns with others. Her favorite Close to My Heart project uses a bleaching technique with stamps:

Brittney Smith / Main Street Memories

Brittney makes and sells these cute personalized envelopes and notepads that make perfect gifts for teachers, friends, and family members.

Also, if you are thinking about a Walt Disney World Vacation or a Disney Cruise, she's an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner through Main Street Memories, and can help you book your vacation, make your reservations, plan your days, and give you some GREAT inside tips on how to make the MOST of your vacation! (No-Cost Service!)

Andrea Steed / Signs by Andrea

Andrea makes personalized, hand-painted, weathered, wooden signs. Each sign is made-to-order, so it can say and look however YOU want it to look. Popular choices are last names, monograms, and favorite quotes. - Gallery of Signs - Sign Ideas - Win a Free Sign!

* Also check out her "Crafter-for-Hire" page of other personalized crafty products!

Lisa Tanner / Etsy Shop

Lisa makes fun, glittery decorations for your tree, your front door, your mantel - where ever!!

By Hand Boutique

For those who are local in Alabama, you might want to check out the By Hand Boutique market next weekend - November 12 & 13th at Community Presbyterian Church in Moody, AL. Several of my favorite friend/artists are going to be showcasing their work and selling all kinds of fun goodies!

• Virginia Tillery
• Shelley Burkett
• Christine Ousley
• Lisa Tanner
• and many other talented artists...

This morning I got to do a family photo shoot for some friends of ours.  It was a good exercise for me: working with multiple subjects, figuring out what aperture to use so that everyone is in focus, and doing some post-processing practice.  Here are some of my favorites:

Plus, I found a pretty good spot near my backyard to do shaded pictures! 

That's what learning photography is all about...making little improvements all the time...