06/25/07

Here are a few more pictures from Savannah. The first is of the church spires for the Catholic church. It is architecturally Gothic and is a beautiful building. The second one shows the front of the church. The third picture is of Jones Street in Savannah. This is where the really rich people live and apparently, where everyone "wants" to live. lol The last picture is just of some greenery around a fence. I was trying to be creative on a walking tour and it didn't quite turn out the way I had envisioned because I didn't have the time to set up my camera for it but it was still pretty. :)


Yesterday we went to Steve's Dads to celebrate Father's Day with him. We didn't get to go last weekend since we were coming off of vacation. We had a nice day there and I, of course, went around taking photographs. ha!! I'll share some of those later because I haven't uploaded them yet.

On the way home from his Dads yesterday, Steve did one of the sweetest things. He told me to get out the CD that had the classical piece Canon in D on it. That was played at our wedding and when he originally bought the CD with it on it I thought it was so sweet. He said he wanted to be able to hear it whenever he felt like it. Well, he wanted it played yesterday and he played it LOUDLY in the truck. ha!! Mikayla was holding her ears but that didn't bother Steve. He kept telling them "This song always reminds me of the day I married Mommy." He then proceeded to tell them more about our wedding day and everything. It was such a sweet, and romantic, moment for me. I looked at him and saw a man that looked a bit different from 14 years ago... I saw a man with gray in his hair and crows feet coming around his eyes from smiling, but a man whom I love so much more than I did back then. I continue to thank the Lord for the blessing of such a wonderful husband. I cherish him and he showed our children yesterday that he also cherishes me just by simply playing a classical piece that was in our wedding. There aren't many men who remember their wedding let alone what SONGS were played. He will never know how much that touched my heart. I love him dearly.

I have been reading up on my camera this morning. I am trying to learn more about it to continue to prepare me for the wedding in less than two weeks. Y'all know I'll be obsessing about it until it is done. ha!! I even dreamed about it again the other night and it was always the same.. the pictures always turned out blurry and things just weren't right. I know that is just a dream but I surely don't want it to become a nightmare!!

People have been asking me where I think my photography is heading. I honestly have no idea. I continue to allow the Lord to lead and guide. I am not one that likes to talk about what I do because I know only the Lord gives us what we have. I am just thankful for the opportunities He has given me to improve my skills. I just want to please Him with what I do. I know I still have so much to learn and so much growing to do. I also know He'll be with me through it all.

Well, I really need to start working on what we're having for supper tonight. I'll have the kids help. I'll think we'll have meatballs with rice and probably peas. I am sure the kids will enjoy getting their hands in all of that hamburger. :)

Have a great one!

06/22/07

These are some lilies that were growing in our front bed. They were really beautiful this year!

I have been busy, busy preparing for the wedding I am shooting in a couple of weeks. I am still nervous but not as much as I was. I had to go buy a mounted flash yesterday because my flash on my camera isn't powerful enough for inside the church. I also bought a diffuser to put over the flash to allow more natural light instead of it being harsh. I was able to ask those guys a lot of questions and there was one professional photographer in there that was doing a wedding the same day I am. He was VERY helpful and I appreciated the time he took helping me. He showed me some things on my camera that I haven't fully used yet. After I left there we ate lunch with my brother and then I went to church and practiced shooting different ways for a about an hour. I will still need to go up there next week and practice some more but I was feeling more comfortable. I still can't believe I am going to be photographing a wedding. From all of my research I know I will be a very busy lady that day!!! LOL

We are cleaning today. The kids are helping me and then they will get to play. We are going to one of our best friends house tonight to have supper and celebrate my birthday. I am looking forward to that.

I have GOT to start scrapping again. I am so behind and haven't had the frame of mind to start it with the wedding stuff going on. I will need to work on that some this weekend and next week. After the wedding I'll focus on it even more.

Well, I have to go help Mikayla get ready to mop their bathroom. :) Have a super day.

06/20/07

Well...today is my birthday. It is just another day, really, but I find each year that I can't believe I am as old as I remember my parents being when I was a child. HA!!! It is amazing how young and inexperienced I feel yet my age tells me differently. Didn't I just graduate from highschool??? Of course, there are certain signs that continue to let me know I am not the spring chicken I used to be. The aches and pains and memory problems are some. hee hee... Honestly, though, I am thankful for another year with which the Lord has blessed me. Life is a gift and we must not waste it.

Today I plan on hanging around with Wesley and Mikayla and just enjoying the day. I have regular things to do like laundry and dishes as well.

Monday night I took photos of the couple whose wedding I am photographing in 2 1/2 weeks. I had a great time doing it. I even got a little creative with their wedding rings. I totally cannot take all of the credit for coming up with these thoughts, but I did see examples of them and decided to try them out. It was quite neat. I love each of them for different reasons.

I haven't forgotten to mention our trip to Savannah. The trip was great and we enjoyed learning about a new place. I continue to find that I am not a "city" girl at heart even though my farm girl ways aren't like they used to be. I just can't handle the noise and hustle and bustle of the city. It is fine to visit and I enjoy the experience, but I would not want to make that my home. It just makes me more thankful for where we live. The walking tours we did around the city were great. I enjoyed learning of the history of the city... even though I don't quite remember it all. They say you have to hear something 7 times to fully remember it. There were lots of things I heard only once so this visual learner didn't grasp it all. We went to Tybee Island on Friday and saw the lighthouse there. We also climbed it. I am finding more and more that I am afraid of heights. lol I got up to the top and thought I was going to be great but when I got out on the balcony I got a little woozy... I finally got my wooziness under control and could enjoy it a little more. My Daddy laughed at me and said I was becoming more and more like my Mom. (She never climbs stuff because of this. lol) My kids on the other hand were not afraid at all. NO fear whatsoever. Mikayla was the one who was beating us "old" folk to the top. We had to keep telling her to slow down. Wesley was right behind her. We decided to pace ourselves so as not to make other people look bad...yeah, right!! We also went to Fort Pulaski which was near Tybee and it was wonderful. I loved the historical part of how we southerners tried to hold on to it but the Union soldiers defeated us with new artillery. It was amazing to see the affect it took on the fort. I loved every part of that.

We went on a Ghost Tour as well. There were some interesting tales coming out of Savannah! I learned there are certain houses that I don't believe I would want to spend any time there. ha! Our tour guide was definitely dramatic with it and she did a good job.

This past Monday was our Youth Pastor's funeral. It is still hard to believe he is gone. The funeral was a celebration of his life and gave a clear presentation of the Gospel. The family is having his funeral and burial in his hometown today. I pray that they are doing well through it all. You could definitely tell the peace of the Lord was on them on Monday. They held up remarkably well.

I guess I need to go enjoy my day. :) Enjoy yours as well and thank the Lord for giving you another one!

06/17/07

We are officially back from Savannah! We got back yesterday around 3:30 and we were tired. It was a wonderful trip of which I'll share more later.

We got word yesterday morning that our Youth Pastor, Mike McCaskill, went home to be with the Lord early yesterday. While we are deeply saddened over the loss, we know he is with his Lord and Savior. We had a day of remembering and rejoicing over his life today at church. Tomorrow is the official memorial service and Wednesday he will be laid to rest in Tennessee. What a testimony the whole family has been through all of this. They have trusted the Lord through it all and continue to praise Him for what He has done through Mike's sickness and now homegoing. It was just 9 short weeks ago that I was at their house taking pictures of their daughter and Wesley was hanging out on the couch with Mike watching cartoons. They got the news his tumor had come back later that week. God was with them the entire time and, even though we do not understand why, we know WHO is in control and WHO sees the whole picture. I know my faith has grown watching them and I know their example will continue to lead other people to Christ. God will use this for His glory.

When I get a bit of time and my computer cooperates, I will work on getting some photos from Savannah. I really tried to think outside of the box, but not sure if I succeeded. As I said before I will share more on our trip later.

The rose I have posted today is in memory of Mike. He told me that last day I visited with them that his favorite flower was a red rose. Please continue to pray for the McCaskill family. There will be hard days ahead but through Christ's strength they will make it through. We can't do anything without Christ.

06/11/07

We are off to Savannah, Georgia later this afternoon!! We are going with my parents and brother... my brother gave this trip to us as his birthday gift to all of us!! We have been cleaning and making last minute stops before we are off. I am SO excited and am looking forward to learning about the history as well as see some beautiful things. You KNOW I'll be taking lots of photos!!

This past weekend was busy making preparations for the trip. We are all packed for the most part but I do have a few other things to throw in. Yesterday was my brother's birthday. We celebrated as best as we could without having too many leftovers. ha!! We didn't want a lot of food in the fridges for when we all are gone!!

Mikayla lost her third tooth yesterday.... one of her top ones. She looks so cute with it missing. We were calling her "gappy" because she had a space where the tooth was loose and moving already. Well, now we call her "spacey"... hee hee... Her permanent tooth is already coming in. That tooth had been needing to come out for around 2 weeks now. It was literally hanging on by a thread!!

I took the photos of the 2 month old last Wednesday. The "session" went as well as could be expected, I guess, for my first one. The Mom loved the photos so that is all that matters. I do have some improving to do, though!

On Friday I took my best friend's daugther's Senior pictures. It took me quite a while to go through those because I took around 168 of them! I have given her the CD of them so when I get back from Savannah she can tell me which ones she wants. I was so in my "element" when I was photographing her. It is hard to tell a two month old what to do but I can tell a young child to an adult! LOL

Well, I need to finish cleaning and packing for the trip. Have a great week, everyone, and I'll be posting when I return!! Enjoy today's summer flower picture!! It is a poppy that Steve planted in our new "perennial garden." I liked the way this looked. :)

06/05/07

This picture today is of the daisies by our front porch. I am not as impressed with this shot as it wasn't clear enough. It was one of the first flowers I took with my new lens when I was trying it out. It's not horrible but it isn't that great either. lol

Another day of cleaning but I think we are done with the heavy stuff!! We worked on baseboards and doors today. I also took care of a few walls that needed some fingerprint smudge taken off. lol The kids were in charge of the baseboards... and I checked behind them on some of them. I was glad to get that behind us and it was good for the kids to learn. Wesley goofed off more than Mikayla but that is so him right now. We are constantly on him to "calm down" because he is so goofy. I know it is his age...

I had to go to the dentist today at 2:00. I was so involved in getting the doors and baseboards cleaned that I looked up and it was 12:45 and I hadn't showered or eaten lunch yet! My dentist is around 30 minutes away from us!! I threw some lunch on the table for the kids and jumped in the shower. I was barely presentable but I figured they were going to be looking in my mouth not at what I looked like. lol I had to get a filling replaced. I was numb all the way to the bottom of my eye and half my nose because the tooth was in the upper back part of my mouth. It felt really weird! I ran a few errands after that and got an iced cafe mocha for "lunch" and had a few issues sucking through that straw. LOL

We went to Bath and Body Works while we were at the mall. They are having their Semi-Annual sale so I went to get some deals on some of the shower gels they no longer carry on a regular basis. I also wanted some new perfume. I went around that store I don't know how many times spraying different scents into the air. I even sprayed one I liked on Mikayla's arm and another on my arm and kept trying to figure out which one I liked better. lol I decided on one called "Breathe - Romance" or something like that. After it stayed on my skin a while it seemed to smell nicely. You never know about perfumes, you know... they can smell great in the bottle and then not mesh with your body chemistry. ha!!! I didn't want to stink! I inhaled so many different scents, though, that I didn't know which was what. Thankfully I figured it out with my trusty helper Mikayla. :) Wesley was just along for the ride.

Wesley and I had already cooked supper this morning. We had tacos tonight so Wesley helped me make the sauce and then we put it in the crock pot to "soak in" all day. It was quite yummy. :)

Have I said lately how wonderful it is to be home and have a clean house? Just didn't want you to forget it. hee hee

Tonight I have to iron. I am quite proud of myself because normally it gets stacked up for a while but I decided to do better about that, at least for the summer when I have time. I just hate to iron so that is why is piles up a lot.

Tomorrow I am taking photos of a 2 month old. I had told the Mom before the baby was born that I would do this as her gift. I really hope they turn out. I am getting more and more nervous about the wedding and all so I hope these turn out for her the way she wants them... and the way I am envisioning them.

Well, I need to get Wesley out of the tub and Mikayla IN the tub. :) Have a terrific evening!

06/04/07

I was trying to think outside of the box today. Y'all know I am so in the box I need seriously sharp box cutters to get me out. Well, I had put some flowers in this vase and LOVED the way the air bubbles were all around the stem. It reminded me of a photo one of my online friends had done in her blog (Just Being Aimlyss -------->) and I thought I'd give it a shot. I took the first one straight on and the second one I stood in a chair to get a different perspective. What do you think?

We cleaned again today. I have pretty much finished with the deep cleaning of the vacuum. I would have done the kids rooms but there is so much stuff in there I just didn't have it in me today. LOL They had to continue to help me clean but also got some play time. Unfortunately for Mr. Wesley he didn't clean his room and hang up his clothes like I told him so he missed watching a movie this afternoon. He had to clean instead. He was NOT happy but I had warned him enough times. I think it hit home. :) Mikayla enjoyed watching Charlotte's Web. That is really the sweetest movie.

I cooked again tonight. I just can't say enough how nice it feels to have the energy and desire to cook for my family. Mikayla Girl helped me cook (see picture!). I told Wesley he could help me with tomorrow's supper. She loves to help and she loves to wash dishes. I know I need to start teaching her these things (Wesley, too!) so I know this is the summer to begin it.

I am loving looking around my house and seeing it clean. It brings much joy to my heart. :)

I took a picture of a hummingbird today. It wasn't the greatest but not bad for my first try. The wings were going so fast that they didn't even show up in the picture!!!

Earlier today when Wesley and Mikayla were working on their summer books they began to have a conversation about what they wanted to name their kids one day. Mikayla likes the name Grace (wonder why??? ha!) and then Wesley said "I like Arlena. I think that is a pretty name." I didn't want to laugh but that was too cute. He was dead serious. I am sure his wife will help him change his mind. Of course, I may have to eat my words, too!!

Well, I am off to eat a little snack. I need to iron, too, but may do that in the morning. Enjoy your evening!

06/03/07

Today's flower is an amaryllis I took in Mom's yard last week. I was excited that I could get up this close with my new lens. I love these flowers!!

Whew...there has been some cleaning going on at this house!! I still am not finished but am feeling better about certain areas. I'll begin again tomorrow.
Last week was a combination of cleaning and a little bit of play time. I took the kids to the park on Thursday with one of my friends children. They had a great time. The humidity was low and that made the day even nicer. :)

I have been working with the kids on helping me clean. I must say that overall they have had a great attitude. They helped me by cleaning out the van Friday. The only problem was they left all that was inside the van all around the outside. ha!! They had to clean that up yesterday.

I went to get groceries yesterday and since we were out of most things I almost had to mortgage the house to pay for the bill!! Don't you just hate that? I was glad to get stocked up on a few things. I plan on cooking some for my family this week. That really is a nice feeling to want to do that again.

We have enjoyed a day or so of rain around here thanks to the tropical storm the Lord sent our way. We have been enjoying the sound of rain and thunder. That is part of what makes summer so memorable. It seems as if the garden and flowers have perked up a bit since the rain. We received over an inch. We just thank the Lord for all He sends.

You know, speaking a bit on that... you hear so much about global warming. I have been reading up on it from The Institute for Creation Research (link on my sidebar) to see what they have to say. Basically, it boils down to this: God did not make this world without "checks and balances" and is not going to let this earth go. He is still on the throne, He is still in control (whether evolutionists want to believe the truth or not) and I am going to put my faith in HIM. Not in what some evolutionist scientist has to say about the world's demise that they really have no clue about what will happen. I know that the Bible talks about this earth will one day be burnt away with a fervent heat and there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth. Do we need to take care of the Creation God has made for us? ABSOLUTELY. It doesn't mean that He has left us or the Creation to fend for ourselves. I don't have to worry either way because I am safely and securely in the palm of God's Hands and I know He will never leave me nor forsake me.

Coming from a person who does her best to understand science through a Christian world view that is my take. I don't claim to know all of the answers but I know Who holds all of the answers and where to find them: The Bible.

Ok...off my soap box now.

On Thursday we had the joy of seeing a bunny in our back flowerbed! I was making up the bed in our room when I saw it. It was the cutest thing and Wesley and Mikayla were quite excited. I tried to take some photos of it through our bedroom window but they didn't turn out great. We did get to go out and sit on the deck and I took these. They are with my new lens. I am still learning with it, but was tickled that I could get this close.

Well, off to spend some time with our friends. We are celebrating their daughter's 17th birthday. We can't believe she is that old... Enjoy your day!