Water Volleyball and Chillin' with Friends

I am wiped out. I know I will sleep well tonight....if I ever make myself go to bed that is! It has been a busy weekend, but it's been great! But these early mornings and late nights are catching up with me. I bet I don't miss my Sunday nap tomorrow afternoon! :0)



After being up very late last night (this morning!) Marty, Heather and I got up early to drive to Austin to a camera shop. I'd been given a zoom lens that unfortunately doesn't fit my camera but I found a camera shop interested in trading me out of it. I had planned to go there the weekend after VBS was over but didn't feel like it, then it just hasn't worked out to go until today. I was able to come home with a new zoom lens to play with and am a very happy camper! (Except that I saw LOTS and LOTS of "toys" in that shop I sure would have enjoyed bringing home for my camera!) Marty wasted no time getting me out of there. :0) I'm kidding. He was actually very patient and even found stuff he was interested in!




We returned home JUST in time for Heather and I to attend a friend's bridal shower where I wound up taking photos for my friend Paula (mother of the groom to be).



I was so looking forward to coming home and relaxing in the pool this evening! My friend Erica and her family were planning to head to the river to play and I told them they may as well come join us in our pool, it's much closer! So, they did and our friends David and Lana and their girls joined us too. Their girls brought giant smiley face beach balls with them so almost immediately volleyball was on! Kids and adults alike joined in! The pool was a mad dash of bodies and arms sending beach balls flying.

Cameron, Ashley, and Lana are on the far team.

Riley and Heather (and Erica not shown) are on the team whose backs we see.

Marty and Dave were the posts keeping the "net" in place.

I'm not sure where the ball is, or whether she got it, but Heather sure went after it here!

I got out for a while to snap photos and of course since I was out of the pool that automatically made me the ball retriever. I'm sure those balls spent more time outside the pool than in it!

When I got back in, I joined right in the game:

Cameron, Lana, Ashley and Holly.

And of course there are some very goofy shots of us as we went after the balls! Marty snapped this goofy shot of me.

Like mother, like daughter? Erica and Riley seem to go after the ball in sync.

When we became hungry we got out of the pool to roast our dinner over the fire Marty built.

Lana, Dave, Jason and Erica.

Marty helped Holly roast her dessert!

A view of Holly and her marshmallows through the smoke.

Erica, I think I've found someone who enjoys her marshmallows as much as you do!!!

Holly loved posing for this messy photo!

I'm REALLY liking my new zoom lens!!!! I took the following shots from on the deck of my house, which I've done before with ok results with my old zoom lens, but these seem so much closer and crisper/clearer!

Ashley seemed to enjoy the pool very much!

Cameron was so helpful with the girls! Here are Holly and Cameron.

Riley and Ashley enjoying the air mattresses abandoned by the adults.

Ashley.

After swimming and dinner the kids jumped back in the pool while the adults just sat on the deck and chatted the evening away. It's always so nice to just hang out with good friends, and what better way to spend a Saturday evening??? And campfires in my book are always attached to good memories!