Here we are, moved in to our apartment in Wrigleyville. It’s so great being here. Two weeks of separation from Karina was definitely too much.

We have several grocery stores nearby and it seems as if we won’t have to drive anywhere for errands. I love that.

Karina has started work with her dad and I’m really glad. She seems to thrive there.

We look forward to being here a good, long time.

Yesterday my Dad underwent his ordination council. I got to hear this guy’s wisdom throughout the day, affirming the promises of God and our responsibilities to Him. I’m so glad I’ve got a father like this.

I shot this mildly frightening image of our school mascot for the cover the The Pulse, our student publication.

The name comes from the old photo adage, “the best camera is the one you have with you.” The app includes some fairly powerful photo editing software with a great interface.

The appeal of being able to apply basic image adjustments to photos I take everyday is huge. If used right, this could be a great tool for eye-exercise. I always have my phone with me.

One of the cooler features of the app is its social network integration. After I process a photo, I can choose to upload to the “Best Camera” website, facebook, twitter or e-mail, by simply checking boxes and hitting send. I hope flickr integration is coming soon.

I’ve just started, but if today is any indication, I’ll be shooting a lot more. I’ve uploaded twenty-seven photos today and thoroughly enjoyed working with the clean, simple interface.

It’s not without its kinks, however. It’s impossible to find photographers on the “Best Camera” website unless you happen to see one of their photos in the recent uploads. There’s also no comment feature and the “thumbs-up” rating system is only available on the iPhone app, not the main website.

These short-comings aside, what Mr. Jarvis is doing here is admirable. The easier it is to make photos and share them, the more we learn.

My excitement was multiplied with our recent trip to Mexico because this is the culture of my new family. Karina’s parents are both Mexican and her father grew up in Guadalajara, where we stayed for a few days.

We stayed at his mother’s house and enjoyed enjoyed the sound of nearby church bells every fifteen minutes. José was excited to give us a tour of his beautiful city.

In the middle of our trip, we spent a few days in Puerto Vallarta, a beach town on the Pacific coast. My uncle and aunt kindly gave us a timeshare there and we were able to spend a few days relaxing as the waves rolled in.

The most enjoyable part of the trip, though, was the family dinner. José invited many of his relatives in Guadalajara to come and celebrate our new marriage and the 25th wedding anniversary of José and Loren.

I was surprised to learn later that the meal had taken four hours. There was just so much joy, laughter and excitement that the moments flew by.

I came back refreshed and amazed by this country. The mountains, trees and oceans are gorgeous, but the most beautiful thing I found was the love this family shares.

Since Joey Logano hasn’t achieved hyper-stardom yet, he was really cool about letting me get close. Of course, since he hasn’t avhieved hyper-stardom yet, this photo isn’t as valuable.

This crash happened early-on in turn two. I, being a racing newb, tracked the car that was spinning out to the inside while the other car smashed into the wall forcing an exit from the race. The number 99 car shown continued without a problem.

Pit stops are awesome. It’s amazing to see so much happen so fast. However, because of restricted access for obvious safety reasons, it’s hard to get a decent shot.

Drivers usually do some sort of celebration after a win. Brad Keselowski did a couple of the obligatory burnouts.

It would be fun to do a series on all the different bus decorations at some point. People really go all out.

I went for a balloon ride this morning. Weather had kept balloons grounded during the Hot Air Jubilee until Sunday morning when the wind finally died down enough to allow a flight. Since this was our only shot at getting pictures of balloons in the air, we really needed a photographer on a balloon today. Unfortunately, because this was the only flight of the weekend, most of the spots were filled with event sponsors.

Then I met Cheryl. She’s a local pilot from Napoleon who owns the “Jesus Loves You” balloon. In addition to Jesus, Cheryl must love me as she generously offered a spot in her basket. She is a very safety-conscious pilot who took time to tell me what to expect before the flight began. Located at the back of the field, we were one of the last ones to leave the airport and followed the crowd over downtown Jackson.

Cheryl’s chase crew was very professional. Everything was checked thoroughly and the balloon was launched amid all the confusion of forty two balloons simultaneously inflating.

The balloons massed over Westwood Mall and the West Michigan Avenue Wal-Mart. The target pilots were to throw their markers on was located in the rear parking lot. Many pilots were very close, but Cheryl was unfortunately driven northeast at the last minute by a strong, low gust.