Matt Graves Photography »

I loved it when I got this email. Rick was flying in their three children for Memorial Day weekend to surprise his wife. One is getting his masters at Ohio State, Brad is getting his masters at Harvard, and Brittannie is getting her undergrad work done at the University of Arizona…talk about a smart family!!! (Joan is actually going to be getting her Masters before them all she told me though). Rick contacted me to arrange a time so they could get some family photo’s done. They were a very fun family and we had a good time wandering Saguaro Ranch park that Saturday. We even chased a few roosters!

This first photo mimics a frame she has from a few years ago and we wanted to get her a new, updated one

Went to visit my Grandfather yesterday. He passed away two years before I was born so I never got the chance to meet him. From photo’s, I see I have a lot of his facial features. My mom always tells me how much he wanted a grandson (he never had a son) and couldn’t wait until Carol had one. I would have been his first grandson.

It rained here a lot over the weekend and the dirt and rain really made the headstones dirty. It was really touching to see that my grandfathers headstone was extremely clean. Almost too clean. My grandmother had to have been out there earlier in the weekend

I say revisited because I spent a ton of time here when I was a kid.  The softball fields were used a lot by my sister and instead of watching her games, I would run around and chase the peacocks and roosters.  I was doing a family session there Saturday and got there a bit early.  Chased some of the locals around with my camera this time…15 years later.

That was pretty much my Friday.

I just finished up cooking my first ever turkey. Last Thanksgiving, I had just split a freezer with a friend (BAAAARRRRREEEEEEETTTTTTT!!!!!) and decided it would be a good idea to buy a 23 pound turkey and put it in the freezer. Still not sure why I thought it would be a good idea. But hey, why not?

Monday, I put it in the fridge to start defrosting it. It would be a Memorial Day turkey! Started the day off at about 8am by soaking some apples in some cheap red wine.

I then went and let that soak for a little bit while I caught up on what was happening on the internet.

Stuffed the turkey and in it went…This is shortly after it went in.

At this point, I left the house since it was going to be nearly 5 hours until it was done…Being 23 pounds and all. I went to Arrowhead Mall and picked up some Puma’s I had been eyeing at the Champs Sports there.

I Heart Pumas!

I also picked up my very first Diamondbacks shirt I have ever owned. I officially jumped on the bandwagon today!

So…Back to the turkey. It was time to pull it out. Geez, I don’t want to strain my arm by patting myself on the back, but I will risk it. This is a good looking turkey.

After I let it sit for a half hour, it was time to pull it apart. I was planning on just using the meat for sandwiches for the next week or two, so presentation was the least important part. I needed some help though. The next two pictures show my helpers for cooking today.

After helping me so much, Kacey was a bit tired because of the tryptophan in the turkey.

Sadie wasn’t tired though. The rain came and she wanted to run around…

Two last photo’s…I have a few tupperware containers that look like this in my fridge right now. Now I have to get to the store for some bread to make some sandwiches

Lastly…but possibly the most important note from today…The wishbone. My sister and I were the only grandchildren of our age growing up (our cousins are about 10 - 15 years older) so we always got to try to split the wishbone. Basically, whoever gets more of it, wins and they get their wish.

It is waiting for you Jamie…Come and get it

Liz can always tell when I have purchase a new lens.  She says I get a look on my face like a guilty kid who got caught doing something they weren’t supposed to be doing.  She is great because she really doesn’t mind.  What started as a hobby 2 and a half years ago has turned into a Limited Liability Corporation.  That’s right…It is now Matt Graves Photography LLC.  It has been a lot of fun and I am really looking forward to this fall when I get to do some more work with a pretty booked season of weddings (there aren’t that many summer weddings in Phoenix…go figure).

Anyways…The reason for this post was because I was excited about my new Canon 135L.  It is sweet.  For the camera saavy, it has a maximum aperture of 2.0 and focuses quickly.  As is the norm, my “test” subjects for new camera equipment are my puppies.  Sadie was the only one cooperating tonight so here are a few quick examples of this beautiful lens.

I have been shooting Lily each 6 to 8 weeks now since the day she was born last September.  These were from our most recent outing.  We went to her Aunt’s home for some swimming as it was only her second time ever in the water.  She had no problem in the water and was really happy to just chill out and sit in her little raft.  I was impressed.  It gave me some inspiration to lay out for the rest of the day after we were done.  Thank you, Lily!

This is my favorite.