By: Amy Pantone January 6, 2020January 6, 2020 Nature TimeBoxer, Burkhart Creek County Park, county park, creek, Josie, Morgan County, nature, winter hikeLeave a Comment

A Winter Playdate With Nature

Today the sun was shining so we took up a date with nature. This little gem of a park is located about 10 mintues from our house. Quiet place, few people, and a meandering creek makes this a favorite for all three of us. I loved the blue skies and the feeling of warm sunshine…

By: Amy Pantone August 5, 2019September 20, 2019 Client Sessions, Client Spotlightfamily photo session, Friendship Gardens, Plainfield, springLeave a Comment

A Special Family Session With a “Newborn”

During the late spring a family with a very special four month old wished to have family photos. You see Tyler was born 4 months early. He spent his first few months in the ICU at Riley Children’s Hospital. Fighting hard and with the help of his parents and excellent staff, Tyler finally came home…

By: Amy Pantone November 5, 2018September 18, 2019 Photo of the weekfall, foliage, forest, leaves, nature, simple livingLeave a Comment

A Lovely Walk in a Fall Forest

With my Nikon in tow, I took a stroll through our woods last Monday. I am glad I did. The fall foliage was at its best. This beautiful fall day was followed by several rainy days in a row. Leaving many of our trees with fewer leaves. Click on any image below to view a…

By: Amy Pantone September 17, 2018September 18, 2019 Photo of the weekanimals, barred owl, box turtle, critters, Josie the Boxer, juvenile squirrel, nature, simple living, skink, toadLeave a Comment

Critters From Our Woods

Since living at our place a little over 3.5 years, I have encountered a variety of critters. Unable to photograph many of them, here are a few I had the pleasure of capturing digitally. (I had to include one of Josie our Boxer.) In addition, I would like to dedicate this post to a special…

By: Amy Pantone August 20, 2018September 18, 2019 Photo of the weekbutterflies, nature, sanctuary, simple living2 Comments

A Butterfly Sanctuary of Our Own

A short walk from our cabin there is a place where butterflies flutter free. Here they thrive on wild growth. On any day one will encounter 20 or more. Flying above your head, dipping here and there, or resting on a tall pink flowering plant. Last year I do not recall as many. But this…

By: Amy Pantone June 4, 2018September 18, 2019 weekly photo challengeAll-time favorites, last one, new challenge, photo challenges, photos3 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge (The Last One): All-Time Favorites

When I pulled up the Weekly Photo Challenge I was shocked to see it would be the last one. I am sad to see this challenge go. It has been a big part of my blog over the last 3.5 years. At first, I was slightly irritated it was going away. How could Word Press…

By: Amy Pantone April 21, 2016September 20, 2019 Travel ThursdaysBadlands National Park, out west trip, travel, Travel Thursday5 Comments

Travel Thursdays – Badlands National Park

The geological landscape of the Badlands National Park is worth the stop if you find yourself traveling through South Dakota. For us, this would be our last stop during our six-week trip out west. As our trip neared the end we only had a couple of hours to tour this lovely park. The day was…

By: Amy Pantone February 19, 2015September 18, 2019 Travel Thursdaysbeach, Cairdean Estates, California, camping, coast, Glass Beach, harbor seals, Lake Cleone, MacKerricher State Park, ocean, travel, wine5 Comments

Travel Thursday – MacKerricher State Park

While traveling throughout the western United States this past summer, we had the opportunity to stay at a wonderful coastal state park. MacKerricher State Park is located a few miles north of Fort Bragg, California (roughly 3.5 hours north of San Francisco). Finding a campsite along the coast of California during the summer can be…

Family & Wedding Photography

Currently, I offer the following: Candid/lightly posed sessions Family sessions Maternity sessions Engagement sessions Wedding photography At a location of your choice. I serve central Indiana with ability to travel for your photography needs.

Writing

As an aspiring writer, I plan to offer freelance writing services in the future. Please check back for updates and information. You can visit my profile and stories on Medium. Medium.com/@fstopmama

Yoga

I am currently working on my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Certification. As of January 6, 2020 I am 57% of the way through my Yoga Teacher Training. Loving it so far. I look forward to sharing my love and knowledge of yoga. Check back for updates on my progress and opportunities for private yoga instruction.

“Becoming” by Michelle Obama

By: Amy Pantone January 13, 2020January 13, 2020

books, 2020 ReadsBecoming, books, Michelle Obama, readingLeave a Comment

“Becoming” By Michelle Obama – nonfiction (421 pages) I finished my first read of 2020. What a great book to start the year off with. I give this one 5+ stars out of 5. Michelle Obama richly tells her story with a lot of heart pouring forth from the pages. It was interesting to learn…

End of Year Recap: Goodbye 2019

By: Amy Pantone December 30, 2019January 6, 2020

52-week photography challenge, Yearly Recap2019, photo challenges, recap, self portrait, week 52Leave a Comment

Here we are at the end of another year! I am always amazed how fast it goes. Looking back it’s been an interesting year with ups and downs but in the end I’m smiling and overall happy. Thanks 2019 you have been a good year but it’s time for you to go. Hello 2020, be…

Week 50 & 51: Patterns & Food

By: Amy Pantone December 24, 2019January 6, 2020

52-week photography challengefood, patterns, photo challenges, pine cone, sushi, week 50, week 51Leave a Comment

As part of the 52 week photography challenge. After this only 1 more to go! Week 50: Composition: Patterns “Patterns/Repetition are another well known compositional rule, but have you ever tried to use it in Macro Photography? Well now you can!” While hiking I came across this lovely pattern lying on the forest floor. A…

Whirlwind Trip to NYC + Photo Challenges

By: Amy Pantone December 11, 2019December 11, 2019

52-week photography challenge, travelcurrent events, emotion, NYC, photo challenges, storms, trip, week 47, week 48, week 49Leave a Comment

November was an eventful month. With the NaNoWriMo challenge, a quick trip to NYC, Thanksgiving, and Shane’s 50th, it was a whirlwind in itself. I plan to write about this year’s NaNoWriMo experience in a later post. This post is dedicated to our whirlwind trip to New York City. It all started with a car. …

I Won NaNoWriMo: 50K Words in 30 Days!

By: Amy Pantone November 29, 2019November 29, 2019

Words by Amy50K, NaNoWriMo 2019, winner, writingLeave a Comment

I did it! I set out with the goal of writing 50,000 words in 30 days and today I met that goal, one day ahead of schedule. What a fun ride. Now forgive me as I’m ready to take a break from writing. I will write all about my NaNoWriMo 2019 experience next week. For…

NaNoWriMo: 40K Mark

By: Amy Pantone November 25, 2019November 25, 2019

Words by Amy2019, 40K words, home stretch, NaNoWriMo, writingLeave a Comment

I hit 40,000 words tonight! With another shorter writing session planned this evening I’m working hard in the home stretch. With 5 days (6 if you count tonight) to go I can’t give up now. 50K here I come!

Latest Reads

By: Amy Pantone November 18, 2019November 14, 2019

booksAJ Pearce, books, Dear Mrs. Bird, fiction, Jennifer Pastiloff, Karen Joy Fowler, Kristin Hannah, On Being Human, The Creative Habit, The Great Alone, Twyla Tharp, We are all completely beside ourselvesLeave a Comment

“We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves” by Karen Joy Fowler (fiction, 308 pages) A great little gem of a book. This one was not on my list to read. While at the library looking for a couple of books, I stumbled upon this one. A heartbreaking tale of a unique family and the pain some…

NaNoWriMo Update!

By: Amy Pantone November 14, 2019

Words by Amy14 days, 25K, NaNoWriMo 2019, writing2 Comments

I just updated my word count for the 14th day in a row and reached the 25K word count. Feeling great about this year’s NaNoWriMo. My story is coming along great. I’m excited each day to see what will happen and I’m the author! With two weeks to go, I am feeling optimistic. But we…

Week 45 & 46: Musical & 7 Deadly Sins

By: Amy Pantone November 14, 2019

52-week photography challenge, Uncategorized7 deadly sins, cold, drumset, musical, photo challenges, snow, week 45, week 46Leave a Comment

From the 52-week photography challenge. Week 45: Musical Inspiration: Musical “Music is part of the soul, so let it inspire you this week.” This tiny drumset sits atop one of our shelves. I’m not the drummer in the family, that’s Shane. Actually, when it comes to musical talent, I’m best listening to it or singing…

NaNoWriMo: My 2nd Year!

By: Amy Pantone November 1, 2019November 1, 2019

Words by Amy2019, NaNoWriMo, participant, writing2 Comments

Banner courtsey of NaNoWriMo.org For the month of November I may be scarce here at the blog. For I’ll be working hard on reaching the target goal of 50,000 words in 30 days. Last year I participated for the first time. I was ill prepared, big time! I came up with an idea a couple…