pajama party

when we received our brand new speedlites, we decided to have a little fun with them. it soon became a family affair: mom blume holding up the reflector, dad blume releasing the shutter, and mary beth arranging the animals. can you guess our inspiration for this image? :)

captive husband

check out the latest short film that phillip was in: awake o' sleeper by whitestone motion pictures. look for him in the back of the chain gang. i was very impressed with the quality of this film and i must say, phillip gives a pretty convincing anguished look. great job, babe - you're a natural :).

Gone Fishin': the Georgia Aquarium & Coca-Cola Museum

during georgia's oppressively hot summers, nothing refreshes better than a little water recreation and an ice cold coca-cola. that's the conclusion we came to late last month after a few august dog days that had us panting for relief. also, it was the last chance to spend a fun-filled day with my little sis', mary beth, who -- I'm so jealous -- left today to study abroad at oxford. yes, the one in england.

after all was said and done, i think sebastian was right. life is much better down where it's wetter. the aquarium in atlanta, the world's largest, exceeded my expectations. no, it's not sea world. but, to be honest, in some ways i prefer this to the big theme parks. not too much walking, beautifully designed, amazing animals... and, come 2010, they're even throwing dolphins into the mix. we also had the benefit of going on a less crowded day, after school started back. but take it from a guy who spent time living just down the road from europe's largest aquarium: this knocks the flippers off every other big fish tank.

you have to wonder sometimes what these guys must think when they look at us. do the schools of fish take field trips to the human aquarium? (or would that be an "air-arium"?)

the little guy below was one of our favorites. a small sea dragon, just a few inches long, this is the most expensive animal to feed at the entire aquarium. no, he can't put down tons of food a day. he's just picky; he only eats a rare sea veggie found on australia's coast.

the aquarium's iconic whale sharks (there are two of them) represent the largest fish in the world. when i was in australia, i considered swimming with these amazing creatures near coral bay, western australia. then i realized i could be swallowed whole. you can sign up to dive with them at the aquarium if you prefer smaller whale sharks.

after finding nemo, it was off to the coca-cola museum. they've re-designed the museum in recent years, and it's as great as ever. i was obsessed with this place as a kid. in fact, i still have a huge collection of coke memorabilia i don't know where to put thanks to its early impression on me.

finally, to carry on our refreshing theme, we relaxed by the fountains at olympic park. being trained as a journalist, there's nothing i enjoy better than capturing real life as it happens. it feels like a great achievement every time -- especially when the moments are so timeless. what could be more beautiful and care-free than the good time these kids are having...?