Thursday, October 16, 2008

How to Survive: Develop Hobbies

One of the keys to surviving in Shishmaref is to develop hobbies. Without movie theaters, malls, restaurants, and family around, Steve and I have a lot of available time. One of the hobbies I recently started pursuing to fill my evening hours is photography. I bought a Nikon D80 and a couple of sweet lenses last year (Hey Steve! Thanks for letting me make a major purchase!).


Sweet Kisses

After fiddling around and perusing Flickr and some photography blogs, I started to be able to take some pretty decent pictures. I got to practice this summer when my little sister Lisa married Jason Davenport of Pocatello.


Wahooooo!!!

Now, I'm not pretending to be a wedding photographer. I'm not nearly as talented as my amazing sister-in-law, and I'm not planning on quitting my day job. I just like to have fun taking and sharing pictures.



Lucky Girl

But... pictures like this? They inflate my ego.



Enjoying the Moment

So, excuse me if I show off a little.



Having Fun

I'm actually quite proud of some of these shots.



Lisa Silly Face.jpg

I may not have been able to replace the real photographer, but I'd like to think that only a sister could could capture a few of these moments.



Lisa Twirls Her Pretty Dress.jpg

Because only a sister can inspire true silliness.



Lisa is Waiting.jpg

And the professional photographer's not always there when Mom and Dad are late picking us up.



Silly Faces Together.jpg

And you never act more like yourself than when you're around family.



Busch Siblings.jpg

Since we're talking about family, I might as well show you this picture of me with my brothers and sisters. (I'm third from the left. Just in case you're from Alaska, and you've only ever seen me with my hair in a ponytail.)



Silly Six.jpg

We more typically look like this... I may be the loudest and spazziest Busch child, but all of us are pretty silly.



Busch Babes.jpg

I originally titled this photo "Busch Babes." Then I realized that wasn't exactly accurate. One of these babes is a Busch, but one is an Alston. And one is a Davenport. And one is a Winterbottom. Weird.

Thanks for getting married Lisa and Jason!!! It was a great chance for me to practice my new hobby.

9 comments:

Missy said...

I have been in hobby mode since getting to Finland. But more out of being too poor to do anything fun. Lame! But it's given me the chance to read a lot of good books! Hey I had a question for you: your thoughts on Sarah Palin?

Karma said...

Very nice! You sister is lucky to have you to take pictures...Melody gets me. Although I am very interested in photography, I don't exactly have a good camera or any skills in it (yet). That's what you get when you are only engaged for three weeks. :)

And I second missy's question...What do you think of Sarah Palin?

Jennifer Harris said...

Those pictures were great! You're sister looked very beautiful. If I wasn't already married, I totally put it off until next summer so you could take the pictures.

Dorese @ Dorese's Pieces said...

Let me just sat, knowing the spazzy crazy Busch clan firsthand, that I love love LOVED looking at your pictures! And if you feel the need to inflate your ego just a little more often, that's ok - your shots are fabulous! What a great asset you were surely counted as at Jalisa's wedding. :)

Super Angie said...

I would be happy to share my thoughts on Sarah Palin. Anybody who wants to know, drop me an e-mail at angelabalston[at]yahoo[dot]com

The Hoogland Family said...

Great photos Angie! I love taking pictures too, but having a nice camera really helps (hint hint) Anyway oh those pictures make me miss the ol times. I love the Busch family!

Missy! said...

those are great photos, angie. And it looks like a great time.

Breezi@ Not Your Average Fairytale said...

First I want to say, you are well deserving of a large ego on these pictures! They are great!!

Second: Okay, this is really weird for me to "confess" but here it goes: In the pictures you are wearing a red dress. That red dress reminds me of a time that was a really sad point in my life. I had been living in Philly for about 4 months while I was being a nanny. I was at the point where I was hating my job, missing my family and everything "normal" in Idaho, and really missing friends, as I hadn't made any friends yet in Philly. I went to my room and I was crying and just wishing/praying for some uplifting of my spirits and peace in my heart. I felt prompted to turn on the TV and I was just channel surfing. Suddenly this pageant came on. To my surprise it was a Jr. Miss competition and to my utter shock, there you were. A beautiful friend, wearing a red dress. Silly enough that an answer to my prayers came from a TV show and a Jr Miss Competition, but your friendly face from home was what I really needed to get me through my rough time. And much to my relief I met a friend a few days later.
So anyways, you wearing your red dress in these pictures reminded me of that experience.
Thanks for helping me, even though you didn't know you did. :o)
(P.S. I was rootin' for you!)

Elizabeth J. said...

All of the picture you take are SO GOOD. I love looking at the images on your blog - even the butchering of a spotted seal!