Favorite Instagrams from November

   Okay, I'll admit it. This month I have not taken any "great" Instagrams. But I will say that in October I did. Too bad I'm only showing you Novembers in this blog post (I bet you wish you were following me on Instagram, now, don't you? Too bad my account is private, muahahahahah). I will also admit that I get really excited when I email myself, because then I know that it's not just another junk email from some big box store telling me I'm going to love the new coupon (let me tell you, big box store, if you're reading this, and I can guarantee you that you probably aren't, so, empty rant, I hardly ever love your coupon. Just sayin'). Anyways, here are my top three from this month.

3. Tell me I'm not the only Doctor Who fan. My friend and I (I coached her into doing it) did the tally marks on our faces and hands for the special. However, readers, if you ever decide to do this, please make sure that it comes off easier than mine did. I must have spent a half hour scrubbing that stuff off. Maybe I should just break down and buy some makeup remover. Can you tell I grew up with boys? 

2. Okay, so I'm a big Honda nerd, too. I would marry my Civic if it weren't a car. Okay, that came out wrong. You know (I hope) what I mean. One day I tweeted about my civic. The next day, Honda tweeted this. Awwww.....

1. And my number one pick for this month is...insert long annoying drumroll here...frost on the windshield. Even though we'll be seeing frosty windows here for the next eight months. :) 

OH, before I leave you readers cliff-hanging for next post, I wanted to tell you all how excited I am that Instagram is finally(!) on Windows phone! Yay! No more third-party apps! 

This Autumn..

   Okay, I'm going to be brutally honest here. I stink. Not as in the "I haven't taken a shower today" sense, but in the sense of "I haven't posted anything here since the beginning of September and really that is just way too long." So, I'm going to have to say, I'm sorry. I've been saying sorry a lot lately, at least that's what I feel like. But enough remorse and diddle daddle. (Which coincidentally, diddle is a word, but daddle isn't? Excuse me, spellcheck. It's in my dictionary.)

   Anywho. To the pictures. Maybe the reason I haven't posted on here is because I haven't taken the Rebel out very often. Which is a big no-no. I'll have to add "apologize to my camera and look like a crazy person" to my to-do list. Do you ever add things to lists just to cross them off? I do. All the time. Makes me feel accomplished. At least in a small mental way.

   Oh, exciting news! I've started a typography class. It's just really small and probably won't amount to much, but have I ever told you how much I just love typography? Maybe it's because it ends in -ography just like photography. But then again, I'm not into oceanography and that also ends in -ography. My eyes feel like they are at a delicious buffet of words when I look at a picture of words. Maybe I love it because I think typography is beautiful to look at, just like a wonderfully captured photograph.

   I thought today I would share with you (besides nonsensical ramblings) yet another flower picture. I was intrigued with this flower, it looks so different than other flowers I've seen. I also absolutely adore the color. What do you think?

Comes in Handy {2}

I have a good pic of my grampy but I wanted to wait to post it. So I decided to bore you all with my hands. Originally, I thought I would use this one:

But, even though I liked it, and, have you ever tried to get a good shot of your own hand using manual focus? I can attest that it is definitely not the easiest subject I have photographed. But, as I said, there was a but. I remembered the fan on my facebook page suggested, "different ages, professions, etc." So even though I mainly use my hands to type away at a keyboard or click a mouse or write with a pen at my profession, I decided to take a photograph of my hands in action, not at my profession, but, at {you guessed it} my hobby.

I had to use a mirror for this one, but I do pretty much love the results, even though it is by far not the best of my photographs.

Comes in Handy~1~Grandma's Hands

I didn't think she was going to go for it. My mother must get not liking her picture taken from my grandmother, because Grandma hates having her picture taken, as well. I couldn't say I blame her. When I look back at candid shots, I think to myself, and I thought I looked good that day?

Somehow, I overcame my usual shyness when it comes to snapping photographs in public and asked her for a photograph of her hands. She told me no at first, but after a few polite asks she acquiesced. While I was snapping (a whole two pictures) she told me about how she used to be a nurse. I was filled with a new admiration of the woman, as I always am when she reminisces about her past. It makes me smile when she smiles, since I know those are rare commodities for her these days. She has been legally blind for the past few years. I can't imagine not being able to look through my camera's lens and see the colors of the world around me, to live in the darkness. I admire her for the ways she has learned to adapt to her loss of sight. I admire those who live without sight. They have a true talent and appreciation for the things we take for granted every day.

Dragons Fly?

   I know that Friday is my day to update the blog, but tomorrow is promising to be super busy, so you get to see this post a day early! Or, you could just ignore it for today and log on tomorrow and read it, that way you don't mess up your weekly routine...because I know this blog is part of your routine {wink of sarcasm}.

   The other day I took a break from working to slip out to the garden and take some shots of the soon-to-be-gone flowers. As I was snapping away at some black-eyed susans, I saw this little guy, and he behaved so well as I shot his pictures! Who knew he would become a famous dragonfly on this blog?

New Blog Feature...

Best of Instagram

{august edition}

   So I came up with a cool {i think} idea for my blog. Every beginning of the month, my first post for the month will be my favorite and your favorite posts from my instagram page from the previous month. 

   As you may {or may not} know, I love instagram. What young lady doesn't? But I'm going to spare you the duckfaces and bathroom selfies {although once in a great while i have posted a bathroom selfie}. 

   Here's what the post will include:

~My followers top three pictures from the prior month

followed by:

~My personal top three favorite pictures

   I hope you like the results!

Your Favorite 3:

1}this one beat out the others by a landslide. it is quite possibly the biggest rice crispie treat i have ever seen:

2} lakeside.

3} day at the beach...my favorite part of this one is the seagull photobomb. good job, seagull.

My Favorite 3:

1} the rebel...

2} my little pal: 

3} signs.

When One Door Closes, I Take a Picture

Like I said the other day, I love doors {I did say that, right?}. Almost every trip I take, I always notice them. A bright colored one, a wooden one, ornately carved, in rough shape, whatever, they seem to constantly strike my crazy photo-taking fancy. And, because I happen to take a lot of pictures, and am a bit shy about it at times, I try to take them in a hurry, so no one will notice, which is something that I realized when I was going through these photographs the last few minutes. So, I've decided to put a note in my jar {yes I have a jar, it's like a journal to me} that the next time I'm taking pictures, I will be completely un-Audrey {made up word alert!} and be brave. I will take my time and not apologize for lagging behind the rest of the group. I will take a steady, crooked-free photograph that is hang-worthy. And then I shall post it, proudly, on this blog. So watch out, world, this girl's got a camera, and I'm not afraid to use it {okay, maybe I am a little afraid. But that's beside the point}.

With that extremely long paragraph, let's commence to the pictures, which is probably why you came!

There's a story behind this picture, like most photographs. Next time you see me, ask if you're curious.

England, 2012

Ireland, 2012

NYC, 2013

England, 2012

Ireland, 2012

England, 2012, cool side note, that in the background you can see the photo two photos above, and also my bro photobombed me.

England, 2012

Ireland, 2012

England, 2012

England, 2012

France, 2011

...hope you liked today's post! I have something new I'm going to try with my next post, so stay tuned! And have a great weekend!