Beauty

Beauty can be found just about anywhere if one just takes the time to recognize it. I thought this was absolutely beautiful. Definitely not your average graffiti.

I saw this on a trip Rob, Jamie, and I recently made. We have been quite the travelers lately. In just the course of two months, we have driven to Wyoming and back twice! That has to be some sort of record--for us, anyway. And we are preparing to do it yet again in just a week's time. Of course, there is a purpose to our travels. We have been getting to know two beautiful girls who are about to become a part of our forever family.

Esther

Quite a little beauty. And like many little girls, Esther loves to dress up and make believe. She has a wonderful imagination, and the most precious smile.

Cerena

Another beautiful red-head. Cerena (pronounced Sareena) is thoughtful and reflective. Her smile lights up her whole face, and her laugh tickles the heart.

The beauty of love. . .

No, this isn't a tabloid picture of Angelina Jolie sneaking around on her husband! This is ever so much better. . . it is a picture of love in the making as my sweet daughter Jessica accepts a proposal of eternal marriage from her love, Mick Swenson. I just happened to see him kneeling down and quickly held my camera up above my head to shoot this picture. Clearly, I was a little to excited to get a clear shot.

Obviously, Jessica was pretty happy with the idea of marriage. These two have exquisite taste in jewelery. Such a beautiful ring!

The FIRST engagement picture. . .

Taken just outside the Portland, Oregon Temple where Mick proposed to Jessica. Again, beautiful.

Quality Family Time. . . beautiful too!

So, this year, Grandpa Phil got our family tickets to a Portland Trailblazers game. It was a great game! The Blazers lost 104 to 108 (I think). It was such a close game. Nearly went into overtime. We all agreed that the refs made some pretty bad calls, but it was great fun anyway.

Unexpected Beauty

Generally, this building is rather ugly and even a little creepy--especially at night. But, apparently anything can be beautiful under the right circumstances. I generally don't really enjoy a lot of fog, but an ugly old building can be quite pretty when seen through the filter of a good dense fog.