Capturing Beauty

What I love about taking pictures is finding beauty in simple surroundings.  Capturing ordinary objects though a lens, focusing on color, form and composition.  These are some pictures I took in Honduras.

Family Fun in Honduras

On March 17th-25th I had the amazing opportunity to travel to the country of Honduras with 12 family members.  The trip was led by my uncle Bart Brynestad through the nonprofit Agros (go to link if you want to read more).  The majority of our time was spent in the village of La Piedra de Horeb, supporting and encouraging farmers and their families.  Each morning started off with praying together and sharing stories of hope.  In the afternoons we would help with work projects, play with children and visit their homes.  One day I had the opportunity to teach at the rural school and another afternoon we taught crafts to the women. I took over 350 pictures during my trip, but just choose a few of my favorites to give you an idea of the experience.

Visiting the village of Bella Vista in the mountains for a tour and lunch:

 (Going to view the Plantain Crops)

 (Instant friends even though I spoke no Spanish!)

 (Simple homes, generally made out of mud and wood)

(One of our many yummy lunches!)

(So fun to travel with my parents)

(My aunt Jan from Seattle, who was my roommate - loved getting time with her in a new culture)

Visiting the local school:

Our days at La Piedra de Horeb:

 (Arriving to the village, we had a celebration with all the families)

 (Sweet deaf girl helping with the family cows)

 (Washing dishes, a universal chore)

 (Touring the families homes)

 (Games and chats with the many kids)

 (Sweet Louis, he loved following us everywhere)

 (One of the farmers, Antonio, and his family)

 (Sharing my work gloves)

 (Enjoying a rest in the shade, Aunt Jane & Uncle Paul)

(Helping to clear a path to make a road with my cousin Barty's fiancee Ellie)

Craft time with the women and children:

Goodbye Honduras, I will remember you with joy.

Looking Back on February

February started off with sunny days that really highlighted the amazing beauty we have here in the Northwest!  (I say 'started off', as the rest of the month has been filled with rain).

One of my favorite pastimes...seeing musicals.  This month I went to see Seattle's new production of the classic Oklahoma on opening night.

Weekend trip up north to Woodinville to enjoy some wine tasting for my friend Savanna's birthday!

Preschool Fun: Valentines Day celebrations, friendship chains and shaving cream!

I do not have pictures of the Oscars this year (for I attend a quite party at a friends house instead of a big costume event), but that of course was a highlight of this past month!

A Fish Called...Dory!

Let me introduce you to the new addition to the Caterpillar classroom...Dory.  Yes, we got a fish!  It is fish week and we have been learning all about fish so why not have the real thing swimming around in our classroom.  The day he arrived (yes Dory is a beta boy), I asked Savanna if she had thought of any names.  She suggested we let the kids pick a name, which is great in theory, but I have done this before and they all want to name the pet their name, or something long and ridiculous like Lightening McQueen.  So we decided to give four choices and then vote as a class.  The first two names where in honor of Disney characters, Flounder & Dory... and the other two, Tony & Oscar were chosen to honor my favorite awards ceremonies...haha!  Savanna is a fellow musical groupie so we were routing for Tony...but unfortunately he only got one vote (actually the kid who voted for him is a new 3 year old who mumbled something we couldnt understand, so I thought I heard Tony).  Dory is holding up pretty well.  Poor guy, I would totally freak out if a dozen kids were peering in at me.  So far no one has tried licking the bowl or putting their hand in the tank!  Please pray he lives for a long time...I hate flushing those little guys down the toilet!  Ahhh, the life of a preschool teacher.

Everyone is excited to check out our new class pet

Learning about Betas

Fish Crafts

One of my students brought flowers for the classroom!  Brings such joy on these cold winter days!