Winter is setting in and what a better way to forget about the cold and snow then looking at pictures of sunny Mexico? In early 2008 Mary and I (and our husbands!) took one last pre-baby trip together. Since none of us had been on a cruise the decision was an easy one to make. The question was where to? We chose to cruise the Mexican Riviera and visited Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo.

These are two of my favorites from the trip:

This is from the beach of old Mazatlan. I love the long line of boats.

This is from the ship as we were leaving Cabo. There is a little beach area in the rocks called Lovers beach. What I really like about this photo is how you can see all the boats zipping around the bay.

During my senior year of High School I had the opportunity to take a 3 week trip to France with my classmates and teacher. The experience was unforgettable and I’ve always wanted to return. Unfortunately the closest I’ve been able to get to Paris again is in Las Vegas!

This was taken on a cold winter morning on my walk to work. I love the way the trees look against the blue sky and the rays of sun shining through.

Summer had arrived and we really enjoyed spending time outside after being cooped up for months! This was the first time my daughter had the opportunity to play in the grass and she had a great time.

I was thrilled to be able to capture her touching the grass. Unlike me, she didn’t seem to mind that it was prickly!

This is one of my all time favorites of the little peanut. Her little smirk is so adorable and just look at those little toes!

Every once in awhile we get spectacular views of a full rainbow. Back in May of 2006 was one of those days! If only I had a panoramic camera that could have taken whole width of the rainbow! This is overlooking the Mississippi River and the University of Minnesota campus.

I’m always looking for ways to add interest to my everyday life, and one way that I found to be fast, fun and yes, cheap is digital photography! It’s taken me a little while to find the perfect setting on my digital camera for close-up shots, but once I did, the possibilities for all of the pictures I’ve taken are endless!

Here are some ways to transform the digital pictures on your camera into art:

1) Wallpaper – tired of looking at the same image on your computer screen? Take your camera and take pics of things around your house or outside, i.e. close-ups of leaves, flower petals and – my favorite – food!

2) Wall art – you can take your digital pics and either print them on photo paper or have it printed professionally. Add a decorative frame and you have a wall accessory! Try printing in black and white for a classic look.

3) Calendar – using Cathy’s idea for printing calendars, you can use your digital pictures as background for creating your very own calendar. *hint* Would make great gifts!