After a quick jump over from Singapore; Sam, my parents, and I landed in Bali to head into the countryside to the city of Ubud.  Bali is a place like I’ve never experienced before and it was absolutely beautiful in every way.  The lush greenery that we could see from our resort was magnificent and the Hindu culture was truly an amazing and friendly experience.  Just walking around the Royal Pita Maha where we were staying was a beautiful experience.  Set in a series of mountains and against the Ayung River, just looking out of your villa took our breath away.

We immediately set our sites on a couple of adventures we wanted to experience while we were in Bali including walking through the eccentric and artistic town of Ubud (something I suggest to ALL photographers wanting to visit an artistically diverse city!) to see the rock sculpture that the region is known for, visiting the Monkey Forest, doing some “white water” rafting down the Ayung River, and experiencing sunrise over the Tegalalang rice paddies.  A lot to do in just 4 days in Bali which included more stairs and walking than I think any of us were quite prepared for (and I think almost killed my father on more than one occasion!).

Our first adventure was to walk about 2 miles each way through the city of Ubud to the Monkey Forest so Sam could see her first wild monkeys.  The shops were full of local artwork including sculptures, paintings, thread-work, and plenty of other nicknacks and oddities that were interesting and fun to walkthrough.  But, by the time we finally arrived at the Monkey Forest we were all hot, sweaty, and our feet were killing us because we all wore sandals no knowing what we had really gotten ourselves into.  Fortunately, it was all totally worth it!  The Monkey Forest was an awesome experience and being able to get so close to them, we could really do some fun portrait work with the 85mm 1.8 and 100mm f2 macro lenses that you just couldn’t really do anywhere else.  Now, I don’t know if you could really consider the monkeys wild, but they were definitely wild enough to set my mother on edge when I did this!

Anyway, with all of the walking we had to do on the way back, we spent the night relaxing by the pools and watching some Big Bang Theory (to Sam and my mother’s aggrivation).  Here are some of our favorite portraits from the forest, enjoy the Monkeys and leave us a comment to let us know which ones are your favorites!

On the first day we spent in Singapore, we decided to hit up some of our favorite cultural experiences – FOOD and the different “towns” that Singapore has to offer.  We walked and saw the beautiful fabrics and Mosques on Arab street and we visited the hustle and bustle of Chinatown to visit the shops and antiquities that can be found there.  No matter how many times we seem to visit my parents in Singapore, I don’t think we can ever quite get over how culturally diverse Singapore really is and how well it all comes together around Orchard Rd. and other parts of the city.  Unfortunately, the rain hit and we spent the afternoon sleeping off the 25 hour plane flight through Moscow and the evening delighting in food from the American Club.

I believe that of all of the zoos I’ve been to (including Omaha), the Singapore Zoo stands paralleled by none and that’s exactly where we went on our second day.  The openness, layout, and diversity in the Singapore Zoo is unlike any other zoo I’ve ever visited.  You get to truly feel like you can reach out and touch the animals because, well, you basically can in a lot of cases (although I’d still suggest you don’t!).

We spent basically the entire day walking around the zoo and avoiding the crowds of people visiting over the weekend before heading home to rest and ready ourselves for a feast at Jumbo’s that night and for our flight to Bali the following morning.  The Beauty of Bali, however, is a whole other topic within itself…

You’ve been there through thick and thin and 2 years ago, today, you agreed to be there with me for the rest of our lives.  I love you for everything you do and for everything you’ve done.  You’ve helped shaped me into the man I am today and I could never imagine living without you.  Happy Valentines Day Sam and thank you for all of this and more.

At the beginning of December, Sam and I had the unfortunate news that our old dog Aggie had a severe bladder cancer that led us to the difficult decision to say goodbye.  She had been my dog for 12 great years and it was extremely difficult to say goodbye even though it was the right thing to do.  After a rough month or so and a quiet, dogless house, we decided to start looking at getting another dog and finding a new companion.  We could not have been more blessed when Sam stumbled upon a true “diamond in the rough” from the Montgomery County Animal Shelter, Sarge.  When Sarge came to the MCAS he had a large wound on his face and his two main canines were both severely broken.  He was so timid that he would not even come out of his cage at the shelter, and was actually set to be put on the short list for euthanization. Fortunately, the people at the MCAS are truly amazing and worked with Sarge to get him to emerge from his shell and finally start to interact with potential adopters.  Sarge was then put into foster care and that was where Sam found him on the MCAS Facebook Page.  We took Sarge for a week try-out to see if he was going to match with our personalities but I could tell that Sam had fallen in love with him the moment she saw him.  I was soon to follow and I’ve watched as our entire family has fallen in love with him as well.

We officially adopted Sarge the following week and he’s been showing us more of his personality every day since.  He’s been a great addition to our family and he’s nothing if not a poser for the camera (obviously).  So, I’m sure he’s going to continue to appear in blog posts and Instagrams in the future and we’ll try and give updates as often as possible.

On a final note, I can not say enough about the MCAS and the people that work there.  This is an awesome organization and they can use all of the help they can get.  If you’re looking to get a pet I would suggest checking this place out first and saving a rescue animal.  Its an amazing experience, a great cause, and there are more than enough animals needing adoption to overlook and simply by from a breeder.  When I was there adopting Sarge, there were officially 632 animals needing adoption!!!!  That’s an astounding number and what’s even more astounding is how well the people at the MCAS take care of the animals and give them the love and attention that they need.  We will forever be grateful for their kindness to our new dog and both Sam and I have become, what will most likely be, lifelong supporters of this great organization.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact us or check out the Montgomery County Animal Shelter website or the MCAS Facebook Page.

While it may not be the most colorful or glamorous looking meal in the world, what it lacks in looks it more than makes up for in smell and taste!  Check out the Recipe at the bottom!

Ruddock Family Jambalaya Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb Smoked Sausage
• 2 oz Pepperoni
• 3/4 cup Green Pepper
• 1/2 cup Onion
• 2 1/2 cup Water
• 1 1/2 cup Shrimp
• 1 Medium Tomato, Chopped
• 2 Chicken Bouillon cubes
• 1 1/2 cup Rice
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Thyme
• 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
• 1/8 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

Directions:

This awesome dish is quickly becoming a staple for us and one of our new favorites since Sam found it in Cooking Light Magazine.  I think we actually made this once a week this past summer and this last time we cooked it we couldn’t help but take some pictures to post up along with this awesome recipe!  It has a nice light, citrus flavor to it and the mixture/dressing that goes on top of it can easily be made into a tasty black bean and avocado dip for lunch the next day!  This is a dish that truly tastes as good as it looks and we hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed the meal!

Now, I’m not committing to taking an iPhone picture a day for a year or anything like that, all I’m saying is that this year I’m going to make a commitment to myself to make sure that I stop my hectic life a little more to take a quick photo or just to enjoy the amazing little things that I neglect to see because I’m rushing to the next meeting or trying to fight traffic home to have some time to relax before I’m back at it.  Sometimes its the small things that can truly make big changes in your life.  What small change are you looking to make in your life this year?

Do you ever go on vacation and take, literally, thousands of pictures but never quite get around to going through them and actually enjoying them when you get home?  Well, that’s this trip!  Sam and I went on vacation with the Fam to San Antonio as a Christmas gift from my parents last year for Post-Christmas/Pre-New Years.  It was really a great break from work and who can’t help but love San Antonio?

We stayed in the Hilton on the Riverwalk and ate plenty of great Mexican food and drank plenty of Margaritas, but when we weren’t enjoying ourselves and relaxing, we went and saw the San Antonio Zoo, Seaworld, and even did a little spelunking in one of the nearby caves (guided of course because we may like to be adventurous but we’re still pretty much just wimps!).  Here are some of our favorites from this forgotten vacation!

Nothing makes winter more bearable than a bowl of hot soup at the end of the day and a fire roaring in the living room.  Now, I know what you’re thinking, “A good Texan would have said chili with NO BEANS,” but if you grew up with my Grandma’s homemade Baked Potato Soup, you’d think differently!!  This stuff always screams comfort to me and has always been one of my cold-weather favorites.  I don’t know if its the ingredients or just that feeling of being back in my Grandmother’s always well kept and inviting house, but I just can’t help but feel relaxed and full when I smell it cooking.  But, how can you go wrong with baked potatoes, chives, cheese, and plenty of Bacon, right?

Anyway, we couldn’t help but take some pictures of our favorite to end the year on and welcome in the new with some good ‘ole comfort food.

We hope you had a very Merry Christmas and find your own comfort as you welcome in a Happy New Year!

Sam and I had the privilege to photograph two awesome people the other weekend in Aggieland.  We’re fortunate enough to be able to call both Patrick and K’Layn not only our clients but our friends and we can’t wait to shoot their May wedding on Cinco de Mayo!  Here are some of our favorites from the shoot.

K’Layn and Pat, you two were awesome to work with and we can’t wait for the Bridal Shoot and the Wedding!  Enjoy the photos!

Finally, enjoy K’Layn & Pat’s Engagement Slideshow by clicking below or visiting the Ruddock Photography YouTube Channel!