Thursday, December 2, 2010

Hope Kids

So, 'tis the season for giving right?! Well I started wondering what I could do to make a difference this year? I wanted to make a difference in whatever small way I could.

I am a photographer, I have my BFA in Photography, I love to take pictures. I want my art to make a difference too. How could I, little ol' me, make a difference with my photos? Well Derek and I came up with this great plan! I want to take photos free-of-charge for families which, due to medical expenses, maybe can't afford professional portraits. I have a friend, Lindsay, who has been very involved with the organization HopeKids, and we have teamed up to do just that - take pictures for these families.

HopeKids is a fabulous organization!

HopeKids provides ongoing events & activities and a powerful, unique support community for children with cancer and other life-threatening medical conditions. We surround these remarkable children and their families with the message that hope can be a powerful medicine.

What a wonderful organization! I am volunteering with them to create a portrait day for these families. On January 15th we are going to get as many portraits done for these families as possible. These families have so much going on, some of them have exhausted all finances on medical bills, and spend countless hours in hospitals. This project makes me thankful each and every day for my health and countless blessings!

Why am I sharing this with you? This organization gives so much over and over again to these children and their families. Along with this Portrait Day, I am also looking to raise donations for HopeKids. I know this is the time of year where we spend all of our money and every charity is looking for extra support, but I hope you will support this cause and donate. Whether it is just a few dollars (or more :) ) I know it will make a great difference to this organization. I don't want to give out my address to the world of the internet so if you are interested you can donate online at Hopekids.org, or email or call me and I will get you my address to send me a check and I will give them all donations at the event in January.

Kjoesplin@gmail.com




Sunday, October 24, 2010

Fall is in the air...

So I'm a total blog slacker but wanted to share a few pictures of a couple things we've been doing, for anyone that hasn't given up on us eventually updating.



We at work participated in "Paint the town red" for the U of U football season. This is the mural Stephanie and I painted. Tons of fun! (this years theme was Home of the Utes)



We also went on a few Xterra off roading ventures, with Chyanne and Cory...

Krissy and Greg came to join us for pumpkin carving. And I must say we are carving pros! Check out how awesome they all turned out...


The process...

Our masterpieces....
Greg and Krissy's beauty...

The spooky results...


We went for a Sunday drive to see the leaves last week. It was absolutely the perfect time for them. Beautiful colors in every direction. Maybe its just me but the colors this year are so much richer then we've had the last couple years. Maybe because we didn't get snow yet and actually had autumn temperatures.



And my BFF Sam is having a baby-this is her with the adorable bedding she got for her nursery. Congrats Samantha!

And nothing completes a blog post better than a pic of us being goofy!
Thanks to all who still check up on our blog!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Weddings

Kassie and Whit are officially engaged! Whit welcome to the family. Thanks for taking care of my baby sis. We love you both!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Cuteness

Ok I wanted to share this cause I think it is great!
http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com

And stay tuned to finally have some updates of what Derek and I have been up to-coming soon I promise!

Monday, August 2, 2010

Background

Our last background apparently got discontinued or something because, suddenly, we had no background. Since we needed a new one, I decided to pick a nice sport-themed one. Let's see how long it takes Kandis to change it. He he he

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Memorial Day weekend

***A special thanks to all those who serve our country and protect our freedoms. May God bless you and your families***

We got to spend some time in good ol' Preston Idaho for the holiday weekend. Grandma Esplin was kind enough to feed and house us for a couple days so we didn't have to think about cleaning, yard work, or homework for a few hours. Nice and relaxing. Don't be too jealous, there was no sun up in Idaho either, yet always nice to get out of town.

And of course the farm is a beautiful place to take some pictures...


Check out those beautiful pink blossoms!


Derek's beloved truck. His Grandpa left it to him, and one day we are going to get it out of that barn and restore it to its glory days!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Desert Adventure

Since I am a boring person who has too much homework, I don't really have anything exciting to write about. Most of my posts have been about cars so I thought I would switch it up and tell you about a recent trip we took - in the car.

Because the mountains around here have been covered in snow, we decided to head out to the west desert to see if we could find ghost towns and good views of the salt flats from some mountain peaks. We packed a lunch and met up early with some friends and then off we headed into the middle of nowhere, not too far from the Bonneville Salt Flats.


We left the freeway and headed across the desert into the distant mountains. It seemed like the only other living things within sight were cows that liked to stand in the middle of the road, especially around corners. As we headed into the mountains, the air got colder and the roads muddier.


As we exited a corner, there it was. Could this be the ghost town we were looking for? Nope. Well, it was what was left of this supposed ghost town. The lone house was definitely in shambles but based on the sheet-rocked walls and tiled floor, it was far from ancient. Still cool to look at.


A little further up the road, the hillside opened up into a huge open pit mine - quite an impressive sight. We played around in the snow for a little while, looking for some more ruins from the mining days. Unfortunately, the old house was the closest we got to a ghost town, but we did find some interesting signs of life...


We ate lunch in the canyon, overlooking the valleys west of Salt Lake City and then decided to head out and see what else we could find.


After some bumpy roads and more obstinate cattle, we got back to the freeway. As thoughts of heading home filled our minds, we saw it. Just across the freeway, a tall hill with a narrow gravel road heading straight up the side of it. A steep gravel road, and a good view at the top for some photo ops proved to be more tempting that being back at home and up we went. As my sister's face shows, it was actually kind of a lame hill.



Finally, at the top - Amazing Views of the surrounding desert. With the rays of sun breaking through the clouds. This is what we were looking for. Of course, the car wanted to be in the pictures too.


All-in-all, it was a fun trip. Close enough to home to be reached in a day, but far enough to feel as though we were light years away from anything - including school. We have a couple other adventures but I'll save those for another day - or another blog when Kandis changes her password to this one and doesn't tell me.