Bridget's Excellent Adventures

Christmas in the Quad Cities

2010-12-25T18:41:00.000-06:00

This year for Christmas, my entire family (that's everyone...cousins, aunts, uncles, grandma, siblings, significant others) all met in northern Illinois. We also had a surprise 80th birthday party for my Grandma! She had no idea that we were even coming to town. We rented out a wing of the hotel and stayed for two days swimming, eating and catching up with everyone. Grandma was very surprised and everyone seemed to have a good time :)

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T15:53:00.000-05:00

Sold :(

2010-10-20T21:11:00.000-05:00

Fall in the Ozarks

2010-10-11T20:50:00.000-05:00

Saying bye to Sarah

2010-10-01T18:20:00.000-05:00

MS175

2010-09-18T21:04:00.000-05:00

Well, I finished the fundraiser ride for multiple sclerosis this last weekend. I rode 175 miles over two days with some friends. It was challenging! But it was FUN...for at least the first 50 miles, and then the butt was saying something else :) The weather was perfect, there was a ton of food I got to eat for two days without thinking, I burned 5000 calories, I met lots of nice people, and the best thing was getting a medal from a person with MS after crossing the finish line. Choked me up a bit!

Happy Birthday to me : )

2010-09-08T20:50:00.000-05:00

I got to have some sushi and great time with friends for my big 33rd birthday this year :)

Labor Day

2010-09-04T20:24:00.000-05:00

I went to St. Louis for Labor Day weekend to hang out with the family. The guys did most of the planning, which means we went to ball games most of the weekend and then turned around and came back. It started Friday night watching the Cardinals game. We drove home, slept, got up, and then went to the Mizzou/Illinois football game for the day. Slept again, and then headed back home! It was a quick trip, but nice to catch up with the family :)

MS150

2010-08-25T20:30:00.000-05:00

I have been training for a few months now for a fundraiser for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. I will be riding 150 miles over two days as a way to raise money for people that have MS and for MS research. If you are interested in contributing, I would really appreciate it! Here is a link to my personal fundraiser page. Thanks if you can contribute :)

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=8716242&pg=personal&fr_id=13096

Visit to Pittsburgh, PA

2010-08-04T13:54:00.000-05:00

I took a trip to Pittsburgh, PA that was long overdue to see my sister and her family. My sister wanted some pictures of the family, so after church we headed to a nice spot and I got to have some fun shooting. She and I also got to go out one night to Pittsburgh, and there are a few pics from that evening.

The girls

2010-08-01T13:50:00.000-05:00

Biker chick :)

2010-07-18T23:03:00.000-05:00

So, I finally found a bike that fit what I was looking for. I tried riding a 650cc bike and was freaking out because it felt too big and I didn't feel I had control of it. I found a 250cc Honda Rebel that will be great for me to train on! I just got it and am so pumped to get practicing! :) Oh...and don't worry, these aren't my riding clothes or shoes!

Rome, Italy

2010-06-18T21:55:00.000-05:00

These are some shots that were taken at various places around Rome...

The Coliseum was breathtaking! I'm not a big history nut if you haven't been able to tell that already from my lack of information for my pictures. BUT I have seen Gladiator which made me appreciate the Coliseum. I know, that's sad. There are also pictures of the Palentine ruins which was right next to the Coliseum.

The Pantheon. The picture of the inside does not do it justice, I thought it was a really beautiful building.

Fountain de Trevi

The Spanish steps

I woke up one morning fairly early and couldn't sleep, so I grabbed my camera and walked around the area near our hostel to get some early morning shots. (see above)

Umm, yes, this is a real dead person behind glass in the church part of the Vatican. Weird? Yes, I thought so too. I'm not Catholic, so I had to have my Catholic friends explain this one to me!

The Vatican was enormous and a person could spend days looking at everything! The pictures above are of the main basilica inside and out...and then below are pictures of some of the art in the Vatican museum, including a quick blurry shot of the Sistine chapel and ceiling. I about got tackled by the guard trying to take the picture. I thought the sign said 'no flash' not 'no pictures'...oops. I don't speak Italian :)

The last stop of the trip was Rome! After spending the day in Florence, we took a train to Rome and got to spend a bit of time relaxing in our hostel before going out the next morning. We got tickets to a typical double decker touristy kind of bus to take us around the city. I'm sure it was walkable to see what we wanted, but by that point we had walked all of the other cities and I think our legs liked the break! Rome was of course amazing! So old and beautiful!! We spend two full days in Rome and then flew back to the US that Sunday. It was an exhausting trip but so much fun! I had a great time with my mom and of course we both will always have great memories :)

Florence, Italy

2010-06-17T20:09:00.000-05:00

Didn't get to see the real David because we ran out of time and couldn't wait in line because of a hail storm! I know, excuses, excuses....have to have a picture of the replica instead!

Having lunch on a plaza in Florence :)

We came into Florence late after Pisa, relaxed, and got up the next morning to check out the city. I really enjoyed the vibe I got from Florence...it was so beautiful!

Pisa, Italy

2010-06-16T19:56:00.000-05:00

The day we left Venice, we headed towards Florence to drop off our stuff at the hostel and then took a quick train to Pisa. We got there right as the sun was starting to go down. There was also a huge street festival going on so trying to make it to the leaning tower and back to the train station in time was tricky!

Venice, Italy

2010-06-15T14:10:00.000-05:00

When we arrived in Venice it was raining and cool. But within 30 minutes of our arrival it all stopped for the evening which allowed us to be able to walk around and see the city. Very interesting city and I can't see how it was built in the first place...amazing! I also introduced gelato to my mother, I think she was hooked!

Switzerland train ride

2010-06-15T14:00:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday morning we left for Venice. We took an absolutely beautiful train ride through Switzerland and here are some of the shots from inside the train.

Zurich, Switzerland

2010-06-14T08:48:00.000-05:00

My mom had this fascination with the Sound of Music and being in the Alps...just like Julie Andrews. She wouldn't stop singing 'The Hills are Alive' from that movie...just like Julie Andrews. She asked me to photograph her life dream of dancing through the Alps....just like Julie Andrews (see below). See above for how I FELT after having to deal with this craziness for hours and hours in this particular leg of our trip.

I talked mom into hiking an hour and half uphill to get a view of Zurich...I don't think she was too happy about it haha.

On Monday morning we got up early to take a train to Zurich. We arrived in the afternoon and when we got off of the train, the weather was warm and sunny. This was a nice change from what we had in south Germany! It didn't take long to walk
around the main part of the city. The water was ice blue and the town was beautiful.

Fussen, Germany

2010-06-13T19:34:00.000-05:00

This is the Hohenschwangau castle that was next door to the Neuschwanstein castle.

This is the view we were supposed to have!

...and this is the view that we got :(

Mom and I headed to Fussen on Sunday to check out the Neuschwanstein castle. We took a metro train, then regular train, then bus, another bus, finally to arrive a the castle. It was FREEZING and raining and foggy and just miserable. We caught a few shots of the castle from the bottom of the hill. We took a shuttle up to the 'lookout' area which was a suspended bridge that was to look out at the castle. Pretty disappointing (see above). By time we got back down from the bridge, the fog rolled in and you couldn't see the castle at all.

Munich, Germany

2010-06-12T19:15:00.000-05:00

The Marienplatz was the main square in Munich. It is know for this Glockenspiel that has lifelike characters that move to music. I took a video but it wasn't exciting enough to post : )

On Saturday morning, we woke up early and took the train to Munich. It took almost all day! As soon as we arrived, we went to the Dachau Concentration Camp. The concentration camp was just awful. So sad what people went through just because of their ethnicity or sexual orientation.

Amsterdam, Holland

2010-06-10T06:50:00.000-05:00

The flower market was absolutely beautiful :)

Mom and I took a ride on a canal cruise for a good look at the city.

On Thursday morning, we left Kristina's and took a train ride to Amsterdam. We were planning on leaving in the morning, BUT because a construction company found an old bomb from WWII that was around the area of the railroad tracks, we had to wait until the afternoon for them to dismantle it! Crazy. Amsterdam was a really neat city, as well. Thousands of bikes, canals, and um...I think I smelled more pot in those two days than in my entire lifetime : ) A person can find about anything they want in Amsterdam. I personally enjoyed the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank house. I had read the book as a child and it was really interesting yet sad to see it in person. I felt at home in Holland with 'my people.' They were all tall and I didn't feel like the only giant : )

Dusseldorf, Germany

2010-06-09T20:41:00.000-05:00

The next day (Wednesday) my mom and I took the train for a few hours to Dusseldorf, Germany. Why Dusseldorf?...to see my friend Kristina and to meet her family! I spent quite a bit of time with Kristina doing a PNF certification (physical therapy stuff) in California way back in the day :) I always told her I would come to Europe to visit...and eight years later I had the chance make a visit.

Bruges, Belgium

2010-06-08T20:12:00.000-05:00

The next stop, which was only a 55 minute train ride from Brussels, was this cute little town called Bruges. It had so many canals and swans and flowers and boats...it was just overwhelmingly cute : ) I couldn't stop taking pictures. Of course, they don't do the town justice, but I tried!

Brussels, Belgium

2010-06-08T17:19:00.000-05:00

They clean the streets with a large vacuum cleaner!

The next stop on Tuesday morning was Brussels, Belgium for the morning. We took a speed train from Paris to Brussels that took an hour and then walked to the main square. That is all that the city seemed to have going on. We spent just a few hours here and then headed on to Bruges.

Paris, France

2010-06-06T18:30:00.000-05:00

Our flight arrived in Paris, France at 8:00am on Sunday morning, so we headed straight to the Eiffel Tower after dropping our bags off at our hostel. I thought Paris had so much to see and was a very cool city. I really enjoyed watching the fashion in Paris! Great people watching : )

Europe

2010-06-05T20:29:00.000-05:00

My mother and I had the chance to go to Europe for two weeks in June. We saw 6 countries/12 cities within 15 days. It was CRAZY busy, but we had a great time, saw a lot, and I took literally almost 1000 pictures :) I will post some pictures for each country separately, so enjoy!

Snail

2010-06-01T20:26:00.000-05:00

I found this little snail while walking out of work. So, I picked him up and brought him home in my jeep and 'posed' him in some greenery downtown : ) He was very photogenic!

Engagement pictures

2010-05-10T20:18:00.000-05:00

I was asked to do some engagement pictures for some friends of mine. This was my first attempt at doing 'professional' kind of pictures...so I thought I would show off a few of my favorites! It was so much fun!

Out with friends

2010-05-07T20:03:00.000-05:00

It's summer!

2010-05-06T12:14:00.000-05:00

Biker chick

2010-04-11T16:59:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's official. I have taken my rider's certification/safety class and now have my motorcycle license! ....now all I need is a bike. I have been researching and deciding what to get, so will post as soon as I get one :)

Spring is in the air : )

2010-04-07T16:55:00.000-05:00

Ahhh, after a very long COLD winter, spring if finally here in Springfield...and I will take it!...despite all of the pollen.

Random shots...

2010-03-30T16:50:00.000-05:00

I took a photography class for about 8 weeks over February and March. Here are a few of my assignments. Because we weren't allowed to use 'auto' for anything I feel like my 'manual' pictures were terrible! Haha. Oh well, I learned a lot and have plenty of practice to do!

Elyssa's four

2010-03-20T16:47:00.000-05:00

A few pics of my niece...getting big and starting preschool this summer!

Out with friends

2010-03-06T16:42:00.000-06:00

Willie Nelson Concert

2010-02-20T16:26:00.000-06:00

Yes, that's correct. My friend Amanda and I went to see Willie Nelson! It was so much fun. He had no opening bands, played for exactly one hour and a half and had no encores. A few bras were thrown his way and he threw them in a pile behind him like an old pro. Here are a few pics and video from the evening.

Vacation in Cozumel

2010-01-21T16:52:00.000-06:00

A couple of friends and I decided to get away from the weather and get some sun in Mexico. It was definitely a 'weird' vacation?? I was forced to relax and it was difficult! I'm not complaining, there was just not much to do, haha. So, I read a 200 page book by David Sedaris and a 600 page book (East of Eden) within a few days. We were in bed by 9:30pm and up by 6:30am. Daily, we hit the gym, had breakfast, read, relaxed, laid out, and then realized it's only 10:30 am, haha. Anyways, I came back refreshed and realized that I could make it for the rest of the winter.

First Snow

2010-01-03T10:00:00.000-06:00

I woke up on Sunday morning and there was quite a bit of snow on the ground. So, I grabbed my camera and got to test out the jeep in the snow. It was a great time and here are a few of the shots that I took on my morning out.

New Year's Eve

2010-01-01T01:00:00.000-06:00

I have to admit that New Year's Eve this year was pretty lame for some reason...could have been the wind chill of negative temperatures? Not sure, but I got to get a quick kiss from my two of my favorite girls at midnight : )

Flowers

2009-11-29T16:13:00.000-06:00

Flowers from a special person. I decided to try some creative shots of the bouquet.

Kansas City trip

2009-11-27T16:26:00.000-06:00

Well, the rest of the Thanksgiving trip was spent in Kansas City with a couple of my best girlfriends. We decided to break away from the family and to go shop and eat in KC.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T16:24:00.000-06:00

I spent Thanksgiving this year at my brother's house with his family and my parents drove down from STL.

Turkey Trot

2009-11-26T10:00:00.000-06:00

I ran the Turkey Trot this year. There were thousands this year that ran, so it was a lot of fun! I ended up finishing 12th out of 330 in my age group, yippee!

Bek's birthday

2009-11-19T16:19:00.000-06:00

A few friends and I decided to get our friend Beka a puppy for her birthday. It is a sweet cocker spaniel that she named Chloe. I think she was a handful at first, but now she's attached for life : )

My new jeep

2009-11-02T16:08:00.000-06:00

I actually bought this jeep about 6 months ago, but did not get a picture of it until as of late. My Infiniti G35 was worthless in the precipitation here, so I decided to get something more practical for my lifestyle and I just LOVE it!! It is great in the winter, and a blast with the top off in nice weather.

Half Marathon

2009-11-01T19:36:00.000-06:00

Well, I ran my first half marathon! I finished in 1:56:06 which was 12th out of 87 in my age group. I had a lot of fun doing it : )

A visit from Joni

2009-10-16T19:30:00.000-05:00

Joni has been one of my good friends from physical therapy school. She happened to be in Springfield one night, so we caught a few minutes to hang out.

Oktoberfest in Springfield

2009-10-10T19:27:00.000-05:00

I have not ever been to an Oktoberfest....but I'm assuming it's supposed to have something to do with Germany...German food perhaps? German beer perhaps? Yes, Springfield Oktoberfest had none of the above... We still managed to have a good time watching Bottlefish play!

Fall loft party

2009-09-12T19:20:00.000-05:00

So, I thought I would have one more party before things get too cold and sad in Missouri.

My new grill...

2009-08-25T19:18:00.000-05:00

This is a close up of my new grill. Supposedly, only 18 months of shear fun of wearing braces as an adult : )

Night out with the girls

2009-07-18T19:30:00.000-05:00

4th of July in St. Louis

2009-07-04T19:07:00.000-05:00

The girls putting makeup on grandpa.
Priscilla and Josh
Brylee

Elyssa refused to let us put mascara on her other eye : )
It was raining all day so we were bored and decided to give mom a 'punk' makeover and make the girls look like beauty queens....they weren't too hip on the idea!

Night out with friends

2009-06-24T19:04:00.000-05:00

Happy couple 2nd anniversary

2009-06-23T19:15:00.000-05:00

Camping in Arkansas

2009-06-20T20:09:00.000-05:00

Went to Jasper, Arkansas to do some camping and floating....gorgeous!

Costa Rica

2009-06-11T17:30:00.000-05:00

I had the chance to go to Costa Rica for a little vacation with my friend Yankton. Beautiful country, and plenty of outdoor activities to check out!
We went white water rafting on class IV rapids in eastern Costa Rica...lots of fun!!
Just driving along and thought this was pretty so I had to pull over and snap a shot :)

Hiking at Arenal

Volcano Arenal
Beach in Tamarindo

River tour

Howler monkeys
Tamarindo
Always love the beach
This go-cart of a car got us through the country just fine
Bye-bye Costa Rica!

Loft party

2009-06-06T17:20:00.000-05:00

I feel very fortunate to have such great friends!

1st night of summer softball league (1-0)

2009-05-28T20:12:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day - rained out camping trip : (

2009-05-23T20:04:00.000-05:00

Nice tats.
Only Schwazy would wear a white fedora fishing : )
Johnnie John John caught us dinner!

Well, we went camping over Memorial Day, but it didn't go to well....rained almost the entire time. We still made the best of it!

Cookout

2009-05-16T19:56:00.000-05:00

Nick and Sarah made some burgers and we had a fabulous cookout! : )

Happy Mother's Day : )

2009-05-10T15:22:00.000-05:00

Cinco de Mayo

2009-05-05T19:42:00.000-05:00

Keirsten's 2nd birthday

2009-04-25T22:06:00.000-05:00

A new ball from her Auntie
Twenty people singing 'happy birthday' freaked her out...

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T12:26:00.001-05:00

Priscilla visiting....on her way to Houston, TX

2009-04-10T19:07:00.000-05:00

Cousins
Priscilla and Hunter at Chuck E. Cheese
Josiah showing Keirsten how to play

Kittens!

2009-04-04T19:01:00.000-05:00

Josiah's cat, "Pooka," had 3 kittens and the girls were of course thrilled!

Saturday night

2009-03-14T09:58:00.000-05:00

I had a few people over on Saturday to welcome them to the new place.

Elyssa turns 3

2009-03-07T18:48:00.000-06:00

Elyssa had her third birthday party on Saturday. She was very proud of her "My Little Pony" cake and decorations. She wanted to share some nursery rhymes that she has memorized with you in the videos below : )

Valentine's Day out with the girls

2009-02-14T13:31:00.000-06:00

Boo hoo, the days of living with Sarah are over : ( Luckily she sold her house but we are parting ways now.

A play day with the girls

2009-01-31T16:26:00.000-06:00

A break from winter....

2009-01-22T16:24:00.000-06:00

Miami beach

Sushi Night

2009-01-02T15:51:00.000-06:00

Michael, me, Brad, and Sarah
Schwayze, Eric and Stephanie
Full of crazy techno moves

New Year's Eve with the girls

2008-12-31T15:42:00.000-06:00

Ringing in the new year with my friends Bek, Mary and Sarah...and thanks Justin for taking the photo :)

Christmas in St. Louis

2008-12-25T15:32:00.000-06:00

Elyssa and Keirsten modeling their new hoodies

Keirsten's attempt at a smile....

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T15:27:00.000-06:00

This year I got to spend Thanksgiving with my brother and his family and friend Josh. Great meal guys :)

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T15:33:00.000-05:00

She-devil, Kat Von D, Marilyn and a friendly pilot ;)

Justin and Mary had a fabulous party at their house for Halloween!

Sarah's 31st birthday

2008-09-20T15:21:00.000-05:00

Justin Long Band fans

Happy birthday roomie!

Happy 31st

2008-09-08T16:01:00.000-05:00

Yipee! I'm 31 and having a great time. Nothing like getting birthday kisses from two of my favorite guys ;)

Mary taking a picture of Bek & Sarah
Schwazy....what are you up to now?
.....Getting a very special gift from Schwazy.
Sushi, gifts and friends for my birthday, could not have been any better! We missed you Justin!

Labor Day

2008-09-01T15:48:00.000-05:00

All of my siblings and their families met in St. Louis for Labor Day. We went to the IL/MO game, celebrated Jordan's birthday and enjoyed the kids playing in the pool.

Bry
Elyssa wearing auntie's sweet new shoes.
Grandma

Jordy's 21st

2008-08-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

Happy 21st Jordy!! I hope you love all the root beer you can handle...darn contracts ;)

Illinois vs. Missouri

2008-08-30T16:48:00.000-05:00

Dad, my two brothers, sister-in-law and I went to the IL/MO game. They lost, but it was still a lot of fun!

Me & dad
My two brothers
My brother & his wife

Schwazy's Birthday

2008-08-27T16:43:00.000-05:00

Out to Kai for sushi for Schwazy's birthday

Springfield Cardinals Game

2008-08-25T21:10:00.000-05:00

Schwazy, Eric and Sarah
Sarah looking beautiful this evening :)
What are you boys doing?
Justin and Mary
Beka

Tricia's Baby Shower

2008-08-24T13:42:00.000-05:00

Pretty mama

Drive-in movies

2008-08-24T01:35:00.000-05:00

We all went to the Aurora drive-in theater for two lame movies

First Sprint Triathlon

2008-08-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

My buddy Schwazy and I completed our first sprint triathlon! The swim was a mess, but I had a fun time with everything else. 300 yard swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run in 1:23:39.

El Salvador

2008-08-10T12:14:00.000-05:00

I had the chance to go on a medical missions trip to El Salvador for a week. There were physicians, physical therapists, physical therapy students, a nurse, a dentist and many helpful support staff that all went to set up medical clinics for the communities throughout El Salvador. We had clinics in Santa Elena, Usulutan, San Salvador, and an orphanage in La Libertad. The country was absolutely beautiful, but very poor obviously. We saw 1500 people within 5 days of clinics and had one day towards the end where we enjoyed the black sand beach and market.

Usulutan

The running group

The group having breakfast on our last day

La Libertad

Children waiting for parasite medication

Sunrise at La Libertad

Children at the orphanage

Springfield Cardinals

2008-08-01T15:23:00.000-05:00

Bek and I at a Springfield Cardinals game.

Seeing old friends

2008-07-12T06:16:00.000-05:00

These are my friends Jenni and Judah (high school friends) who are living pretty close to me now so it was great to see them this weekend. Their 4 children are the most behaved I have ever seen by the way! Good job Jenni :)

4th of July

2008-07-04T17:48:00.000-05:00

Josiah and the girls
Tricia getting some practice before the big arrival :)
Bek and her niece all the way from Cali
I'm not sure what bet Matt lost here : )..........
Sarah and I missing Hawaii!

Trip to Louisville, KY

2008-07-02T20:40:00.000-05:00

A night out on 4th street in Louisville.
The happy couple married 1 year last week!

Their kids Boo and Ellie

Happy Father's Day : )

2008-06-15T20:17:00.000-05:00

My dad is an awesome cook : ) He's always up for telling a joke, filling you in on the latest techno gadget, or giving someone help in need. Love you dad and Happy Father's Day!

Priscilla & kids in town from Wyoming

2008-06-12T19:37:00.000-05:00

Priscilla, Hunter, and Brylee took a road trip from Wyoming to Missouri with some friends of hers and got to spent a couple of days in Bolivar with me!
Keirsten came up from Springfield to play with her cousins.

Brylee, Hunter, Keirsten, and Elyssa
What have you girls been up to?

Lunch at Nakatos

2008-06-01T19:29:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day Weekend - Cookout #3!

2008-05-26T20:57:00.000-05:00

A serious game of Mad Gab...

Cookout #2 at Dave & Tricia's

2008-05-25T20:53:00.000-05:00

Expecting!

Cookout #1 at the Banner's

2008-05-24T20:26:00.000-05:00

Day at the pool

2008-05-17T20:01:00.000-05:00

Jake learning to swim

Mother's Day in Saint Louis

2008-05-11T21:17:00.000-05:00

Mom & Keirsten
Grandma

Our family friends Bob & Sharon Dunn

Mama's new toy

2008-05-03T20:41:00.000-05:00