Birthday Photo Shoot

My fun Birthday Surprise :)

I really LOVE how they turned out!  

The Lighting in this one is truly beautiful, we got there pretty early to get this early morning glow.

The blossoms, perfect!

This is the most beautiful backdrop, the tulips were breath-taking, so beautiful :)

It was so fun to have someone taking pictures of us.  We had such a good time, she was so sweet, after the first picture she said we were so cute and I quote I was so pretty!  I really enjoy people who think I am pretty.

I don't know how Josh did this, I am convinced they spoke prior, but the photographer, this sweet Korean little (in-shape) woman told Josh to get out of the pictures.  She wanted to take some with just me in it.  She said I was very photogenic!!!

I liked all the different poses we did, so fun to just goof off and have someone make you look beautiful and have perfect lighting across your face. 

Josh always really enjoyed being asked to be the person not in focus.  

This photo took a couple of practice throws.  I had my feet on the ground and had to bend my knees and have Josh just throw me up in the air.  She had us do it a few times, I don't know what she was hoping it would look like, but I think it looks pretty cool. 

Okay I'll admit, I do love this picture :)  The tulips were so beautiful, I was in a wonderful place. 

I was very grateful she let me change my outfit, I was just about to say no worries but I am glad I did. It was fun to play dress up and have someone tell me how beautiful I am.  

Some of the poses were hard and she was pretty far away so we couldn't hear her so well, and her accent was a little strong sometimes so we did the best we could.  They turned out pretty sweet, maybe a little silly but I really enjoyed seeing them.  

Ironically this pose took forever, apparently I don't know how to "fix" a tie.  

This reminds me of those calendars of cute young couples, I don't know if it is the pose but maybe the lighting how she photo-edited it.  

I just think this looks romantic :)

I was so happy to have pictures of Josh & I without his arm in the picture.  A very special birthday gift. 

Flight Home :(

So Josh had an interview scheduled Tuesday morning in Texas A&M Corpus Christi and he was flying out the same day as me.  So he took me to my gate and kissed me good-bye.  I was good, I cried less than usual was progress.  

Josh thankfully had a good easy flight, mine was less than amazing.  I boarded before him but was de-planed bc of maintenance the plane couldn't leave on time and so they announced I wouldn't make my transfer flight in FL and the next flight to PHX from FL wouldn't depart till like 11 p.m. that night :(

So I sit in the Birmingham, AL airport for like 4 hours to be delayed another 1/2 hour to Vegas, NV to then have an hour & 1/2 layover  and it was one hour & 1/2 late.  I had a 14 1/2 hour travel time.  

Super crappy.  

But I was very grateful to be back in my apt.  

Botanical Gardens Easter 2013

Josh for my birthday asked a participant to take COUPLE PICTURES!!!  

So Saturday morning we met up with her bright & early at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens for her to get out pics taken.  I cannot wait to get them back.

These are some pics Josh & I took after she left.  I seriously LOVE this place!

Josh tends to have an artistic eye.  

Poor Josh at this point his allergies had started to get better but around this time in the gardens all his recover from drugs and sleep I managed to undo in one morning at the gardens.  He was dying and so we headed back. 

I love this picture, maybe its the contrast with looking so sensitive but it was just sweet to spend time together. 

This is favorite pose, and he got to do his "thinking man" pose.  

It was fun to be here, Josh even admitted even though this place kills his allergies it is still beautiful.  

More Zoo

The zebras :) 

They had a pretty exhibit, seemed the most open and friendly to me.  Josh was jealous of their "mohawks" I just think they look very interesting. 

They had a few animal cut-outs, this is my mean lion face, I actually made a little girl jump when she walked by me.  Probably mean but I thought that funny!

Again, so fun to have the animals up and moving, the lioness were walking and moving around.  We stayed here for a bit to just watch them. 

They never came very close to the glass but it was still fun to see them up and move. 

I think macaws are such pretty birds and they were in the most beautiful open exhibit with tulips and greenery.   Very serene. 

We walked by the reptile exhibit and Josh thankfully didn't try and take pictures, I was pretty nervous in that building.  Going from glass exhibit to glass exhibit wondering what scary snake or venomous reptile was lurking behind it.  

From there we went to this aquarium place and Josh was saying many of the fish they used were local to Alabama.  And I was saying how much I don't like knowing fish are underneath me while I am in water.  He said but nothing here can hurt you, and then I pointed to this HUGE turtle and said, oh yeah, what about him!!!

Josh got SO excited!  He said COOL! And proceeded to take lots and lots of pictures of this guy.  He put on a little show for Josh, I actually saw him on the floor of the water exhibit and he crawled up the log for Josh.  Pretty neat if it was so scary to know things like that are there in ponds and lakes. :(

The Farm area of the zoo :)

Thankfully there weren't many kids at the zoo any more, I imagine they only did a half-day or something bc at the petting zoo there weren't any kids.  

My goat had pretty coarse hair, maybe that is just how goats are but petting him wasn't that fun to be honest. 

And I was a good girl and headed straight to the sanitizer after and cleaned my hands. 

I have admit, this next part was pretty cool.  At the tiger exhibit the Tiger was RIGHT there!!!  SO COOL!!  And the tiger kept pacing back and forth, something standing up against that rock or jumping down the rock to them climb back up.  Super Neat!

This Picture looks like the tiger is going to try and eat me.  

Josh really liked this picture, he said it is almost like the Tiger posed for us.  Completely Perfect. 

A nice couple took both our pictures here, Josh wouldn't pose by himself so this was the best I could do. 

We Circled back to the lioness again and I'm glad we did because they had been fed in the time we stayed with the Tiger.  Which admittedly we stayed a good while with the Tiger but it was pretty entertaining.  

Us on our way walking back to the entrance, looking back at the zoo, it was a fun and exciting day at the zoo :) 

And Josh couldn't help himself but one more stop at the flamingos.  

I LOVED IT!!!

Best Boyfriend, we had so much fun, plus we went and saw the sea lions do tricks but we were too far back to get any pictures.   The zoo is such a fun place, a part of me always feels bad bc of the animals stuck in a place, captive.  So I always have conflicting feelings with the zoo bc it is AMAZING but also very sad at the same time. . . .

BUT, Josh was a sweetheart to take me bc I KNOW it isn't his thing.  And he was a GREAT sport to seem happy and happy to be there.  GREAT, GREAT, GREAT day :)

Birmingham Zoo!!!

Our Trip to the Birmingham Zoo :)

Friday morning we woke up and headed to the zoo, perfect weather, definitely worth waiting till today bc the sun was out and it was gorgeous.  

Super crazy morning at the zoo, like 25 school buses parked out front which made for LOTS and LOTS of little kids running around but once we let the groups pass ahead of us it was nice.  And became much less crowded toward the afternoon.  

Josh at the entrance, not that excited, but don't worry he caught on to the fun eventually.

It was so cool, the peacock were just right there, no fence or anything, not sure what keeps them close to their "exhibit" bc tons of the peacocks just hopped down and were walking around.  

There was only one male peacock with the beautiful feather plumage, so pretty!

He must have followed us or something bc we headed to the aviary after the peacocks and suddenly right above us was the male peacock just sitting on the building roof.  Crazy.  Scared me to death to be honest bc he let out a loud squawk thing and I might have jumped a bit.  Still cool, though :)

This was SO funny, I usually don't enjoy the alligator exhibit but Josh was actually a little excited to go so we go on the yucky wooden boards into this swamp and no alligator to be seen.  Until . . . you look on the side dirt and here is the laziest alligator.  Made me laugh!  

Only time I think I'll pose this close to an alligator.

Josh wanted to crawl over the fence and jump to him, I said NO, you'll get us kicked out of the zoo!

I am not going to post ALL of the pictures but just incase you need flamingo pics I have a TON and videos too.  For some reason Josh took lots of flamingo pics and a few videos.  

This was the first zoo visit where most of the animals were up and active, the elephant was up and walking around.  

Josh and & me :)  Tried to get a pics of us with the elephant but it kept walking away. . . 

You can't tell with this pic but the rhinoceros his HUGE, seriously massive (and pretty smelly too).

It was very cool though bc he was up and walking around, I have never seen one up and moving, looks much scarier when not sleeping.  According to the zoo posted sign they can run pretty fast too.  New respect for rhinos.