For our family event for the year we all went to the Blossom of Lights at the Denver Botanical Gardens. I've actually wanted to go to this for the past few years and I made it a goal to go this year. So when my parents invited us, that was an easy goal accomplished. I think the next time I go, I want to make sure I spend a little more time in some of the most photogenic spots in the gardens, even if that would mean getting left behind for a few minutes as everyone wanders along.

I got a tip from one of my coworkers that I should go check out Brewery Lights at Budweiser. I was talking about how I liked to photograph lights and he suggested I go. Unfortunately, that particular coworker likes Brewery Lights mostly for the beer, but there were still some lights to photograph.

Prior to going, I printed off several different bokeh filters and also printed Katie a bokeh filter mount for her prime lens. I was surprised with how many of the bokeh filters worked, given the fact that some of them were pretty restrictive. Our favorite of the new bokeh filters was the snowflake.

Katie and I made it to the Gardens on Spring Creek for their annual Garden of Lights set up. This year was the first year that they charged admission because of renovations they did the previous year. They started charging for admission which was quite a controversial topic, particularly with the Garden of Lights event because everyone felt they were charging way too much. We got a student membership for Katie which got me into the Garden of Lights for free, then we bought a student ticket for Katie to get in as well. It was worth it given the circumstances, but I think the Gardens on Spring Creek needs to do better if they want to keep attendance up to this event.

While in Arizona, Katie took me to a few of her favorite outdoor locations. One of those places is Lake Pleasant. We grabbed some sandwiches and had a cold picnic overlooking the lake and then proceeded to go on a 5 mile hile starting at Pipeline Canyon Trailhead and ended at the top of Yavapai Point. The whole hike was 751 feet in elevation gain and took us just over 2 hours round trip.

There was a bench at the summit that read a quote by John Muir; "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."

We went to the closest hiking spot to where Katie's family lives, the White Tanks. It's only about a 15 minute drive and gets you into the mountains. We did a pretty short hike, just a 2 miles round trip, and it only had 233 feet of elevation gain, but the destination was a pretty tall waterfall that I'm told was flowing pretty well, even though there wasn't much water coming off of it by my standards. But I do have to remember that this is Arizona.