I Love My Family

I promised to share a few shots from our recent family portrait session. I’ve done this yearly portrait thing since the kids were little. Yes, I’m one of those people who sends a photo card every year. I totally love receiving photo cards, so I also hope people love getting them from me. I’m sending them either way. Of course.


We went to a nearby nature resort this year. This place is incredible – Roswell Mill in Roswell, Georgia. I love it so much that I’ve taken a couple of families there this year.


As is always the case with me, I took several hundred shots for our own session. Yep, I can’t help myself. Here is a taste of our day in nature:


Alia – 23 years old





Mackenzie – 17 years old





Matt – 14 years old





Shaila – 10 years old (my sweet Baby Girl granddaughter)





Aspen and Aeryn – Do you notice our little sweet Baby Boy grandson-to-be??? Due in March 2011.



And even a portrait of Doug and me. Whee!!



I’ll share more in the next couple of weeks. I want to save the huge family shot till closer to Christmas. Just ordered my cards yesterday so I can beat the rush and get those things in the mail pronto.


Do you take a yearly family photo for Christmas cards? Do you take hundreds of shots like I do? What is the funniest moment from one of those sessions? I’ll share my own tales later.


Today’s Daily Blog Song – “We Are Family” – Sister Sledge (I have used this song SO many times!)

The Countdown Begins

I can already feel all the hustle and bustle of the upcoming Christmas season. Heck, it started at Hobby Lobby back in July. For years, I have refused to acknowledge the Christmas season until the day after Thanksgiving. I mean, really, can’t we just creep up on this season a little more slowly?

I remember ages ago when I had my own full-time photography business. The holiday season would begin in early Fall for me. Everyone wanted to schedule the absolute perfect moment for their family portraits. I totally get it. I am one of those people. There were always those people, however, who somehow forgot that Christmas was speeding up on us until the first week of December. “Hello, Ms. Photo Lady, can you possibly squeeze in my family of 47 this Sunday? Every single person is only available at 1:30 that day. Oh, and can I get 350 customized Christmas cards within two hours following our session? Thanks, love ya.”

So you might be able to see why I like to hold off on Christmas until it is truly Christmas time. We had our own family portrait session back in October. The weather was perfect, everyone was available, we had an EXCELLENT family time together. I’ll share a few pix from that day later this week…as we creep up on that season.

Anywho, while it is still officially the Fall/Pre-Thanksgiving season in our household, I want to share a few pix from the last month-ish. Trust me, when the Christmas season officially begins in our household, you will see. A lot. I mean it.

Back in October, before Halloween, (I know, it’s been a few weeks), I took the kids to a pumpkin patch for our traditional, we’re-not-here-to-buy-a-pumpkin visit. I was totally there for pictures. Duh. I’ve been doing this since the kids were little kiddies.

Matt always, always picks up some kind of funky looking pumpkin/squash thing.

Mackenzie always, always wants to pet the bunnies. This year, that guy was watching us too closely, so the teenagers weren’t able to sneak over the gate for a free bunny petting session. Notice sign.

Mackenzie saw a baby girl next to her doing this while her parents took pictures. Surely this works for a teen.

Matt must have seen some GC cover guy doing this…that baby girl next to us was not doing this.

Or this.

Or this. Text, text, text, text.

I am amazed that my kids still let me do this. I wonder if they will still meet me at the pumpkin patch after they are 30. Yes.

Then Halloween occurred. I created my traditional pumpkin with the face of a dead guy. This year, I bought a pumpkin Dremel. Yes, I am high tech now.

First, you gotta cut out the yucky stuff. My daughter actually grabbed the camera on her own and got pix of moi. I know, I’m training her well.

Next, you tape the pattern on the pumpkin. Can you guess who the dead guy is yet?

Then, you use your brand new pumpkin Dremel tool. Don’t forget the iPod and Starbuck’s apron.

Finally, you display above-created pumpkin for the candy-begging masses. Sit back and receive praise.

I’m going out with my teeny tiny spy camera this weekend to nab a few everyday shots to shock and awe you with. Prepare yourself.

Today’s Daily Blog Song – “Forever Autumn” by Moody Blues

It Came To Me In A Dream

I have always had bizarre and interesting dreams. I remember a lot of the detail when I wake up, usually. I understand that dreams are a compilation of what has gone on throughout my day and week, usually. Sometimes I am thrown for a loop by the ingredients of my dreams. That happened the other morning.


It is not uncommon for me to have that “last of the morning” dream, the one that is just so freakin’ weird that it stays with me all day long. I guess that’s how a creative, intelligent, brilliant, Mensa-quality, modest (hehe) mind works. Sigh.


Anyway, I had to share this one with you. First, let me preface this with…I have NEVER had a dream with these guys in it. I have NEVER had a reason to have a dream with these guys in it. I can’t remember having a reason to even really talk about these guys. That being said, Hall and Oates were in my dream the other morning. Yes, I said it. Hall & Oates.

Except they looked more like this:

It definitely was not like this, or I would have to consider it a “last of the morning NIGHTMARE.” Anywho.

Okay, so I was in my very large house which happened to double as an old country store. Hall or Oates, I dunno, which is the one with the black hair? That guy was tending to the cash register up in the front room of my very large house/old country store. Oates, or the blonde one, who?, was the main guy trying to convince me to get in a large thing that looked suspiciously like a body bag. I know, I know.


Blonde Hall and Oates Guy was helping me get ready for some kind of medical procedure that I was having soon. It involved me getting into a body bag looking thing and not breathing for a couple of minutes. I think a body bag would keep me from breathing for a couple of forevers, but hey. So, evidently I needed to not breathe for a couple of minutes for this medical procedure to be a success.


Toward the end of Blonde Hall and Oates Guy almost getting me to practice for my medical procedure, I decided that I just couldn’t go through with it. I mean, what if he was trying to trick me? And then I woke up.


You’re welcome for this twisted insight into the mind of a genius.


Let me tell you why I had to share this dream with you. While I was driving home last night, I was thinking about this dream. I was laughing out loud when, you’ll never believe this, a Hall and Oates song came on Sirius XM. And, you’ll never believe this, the song was “You Make My Dreams Come True.” I am SO not kidding!


So, naturally, I took that as a sign from the Sirius XM gods that I must share this awesomeness with you. Once again, you’re welcome.


Today’s Daily Blog Song – “You Make My Dreams Come True” by Hall and Oates (seriously, you had to guess?)

Has It Really Been A MONTH?!?!?

Hi Friends,


I can't believe it has been over a month since we last got together. A lot has happened since then. A lot.


First, and probably the biggest…I got a new job! I started 4 ½ weeks ago. I am a legal assistant in a really successful insurance defense law firm in Atlanta. These people are pretty cool. The benefits are excellent. The view of Atlanta from this 21st floor suite is spectacular. I am working full-time now. Aside from still having to force myself to go to bed at a decent hour, I really love the full-time thing.  Oh, and nobody every says "I think you are bright, but..."  I know, I work with humans now.


Here is a picture of the parking deck on the day I went for my second interview. Seriously, I take pictures of everything.



The kids both went to Homecoming last month. Not together, that would just be creepy. Matt enjoyed hanging with his friends at the dance. Of course, he first had to be subjected to my pre-dance photo session. Of course.



Texting was a major part of this photo session. Of course.



Mackenzie managed to survive without her phone.



She and her boyfriend looked so cute.



I am so busy with my new job that I have let the blogging thing slip by the way side. It looks like I will have to blog here and there when I can steal a few quick moments. I’m about to start work, so this is a WAY condensed version.


Tomorrow, I will share a few pix from our fall celebrations so far. I know, I know, you can’t wait.


Take care, cyber buds!