It Was Unseasonably Warm...

Okay, so I am taking pictures most every day. I REALLY need to get out more.

I took this one on Monday...October 13...that's right, OCTOBER. Over the weekend, it was in the 80's. Poor little stick must have thought it was spring, so it bloomed! It is beautiful...and this is my favorite flower of all...in case you didn't know that already.

Not only this, but...

A while ago, Chief brought home these small Maple Tree twigs. He potted them and they were doing pretty well. They grew to be about 6 inches tall. Then he put them on the patio, and the rabbits thought they were cute, too. So they ate them. We had two pots. He gave one to my Mom, and put the other one by the back patio door. Guess what...

Cooooooollll.

A Picture is Worth...

PhotoMom and her sister challenged each other last month to take photographs every day in the month of September and then post the best photo each day so they could take a gander and maybe critique the photo, in the hopes of honing their gift. "A photo a day in September". A grand idea...and I am stealing it. :~) Except that it is now 7 days into October, I will have to begin today and end...well, I guess I don't really have to end it, do I??

It does seem that everyone and their brother is taking pictures these days. Oh, I don't mean a snapshot...I mean photographs. Finding the beauty in every day life...rather haphazardly clicking the button and finding incredibly beautiful photographs by chance. I LOVE that!

My father (yes, the one I NEVER talk about) was a photographer. Probably one of the maybe THREE things he ever did that was good in his life. Anyway...he was really good at it. I remember when I was a little girl, he taught a 4-H class (remember 4-H club??) on photography and I was enthralled by all of it. The camera, the film, the Polaroid picture...you could see the picture in MINUTES after taking it! Funny ha-ha.

It was more than that. It was the image. What you saw through the view-finder...the lens...you "captured" it forever. And for real. "The camera doesn't lie". Amen to that. It sees the reality of life. The rarity. The imperfections. The raw beauty. And it doesn't matter if it's black and white or color...it's there. All of it.

So, maybe I will be walking around with a camera around my neck for the next month or so. Photomam took lots of pics of Z-man and Flower...I think I will be out there in the world, capturing nature.

Here are a couple I took just this morning...at 6:45 a.m. It sure was beautiful to the naked eye...and this is one of those times when "a picture just couldn't do it justice". I guess that's the whole purpose of the excersise...to hone the gift. If it is a gift...


Sunrise one and two:

This is a Weird Post...

Well...hello there! How are you? Me? I'm fine. No really. I'm fine!

It's September. Another year has gone by and I hardly noticed. I barely had a chance to blink. (Oh, I know it's not the beginning of a new year, per se, I still view life throught the eyes of a teacher...the new year begins in September.) So many activities. Where DID that time go? Weddings, showers, vacations, get-together barbeques, new minstry opportunities, blah, blah, blah.

Now it's time to hunker-down and get to work. In my house. In my Ministry. In my hobbies. In my life. What do I want to see different in my life from last year? Well, every year for MANY years, I have answered this question with these words:

I want to simplify my life.

I have never quite accomplished that goal. Maybe it's because I can't define "simplify". Maybe it's because I can't "let go" of things...like control or old knick-knacks. What in the WORLD do I need to do to get this ONE THING done?!!?!?

Excuse me...what? What did you say? Prioritize? What does that even mean? Okay...I'll stop with the sarcasm. For a minute.

I do need to choose something. Something that will help me be a better person. A better wife. A better friend. A better Mom. Daughter...Sister...Aunt. A better...well, just better. Something that will help me grow. Relax. (Oh wait, I have already retired, so relaxing is like an every day occurance...sorry.) Something, then, that will keep my mind nimble. My head clear. My hands from becoming idle. I want to keep my eyes sharp...I want to dig deeply. I want to keep my heart full...I want to have a vision.

So, I pick...oh my word...I have no clue. What I want does not line up with SIMPLIFY. Well, then... here MAY BE what I am looking for:

I am looking for:

Something that is
Interesting and
Meaningful.
Pleasant; and can make me
Laugh once in awhile. Something that's
Intriguing, yet
Fun. And can help me stay and feel
Young.

Cool. Now, I just need to find it.

I Like it...I Like it a Lot!

So, I thought it was time for a new look. It's been, what, 4 or 5 months since I've changed the face of my blog...an eternity in blogger-land! And I DO wait a very long time between blogs...so I have been told. I changed the template about thirty times until I liked what I saw...simple and just the right green. My fave, you know.

Then I changed my title element. The picture. I played with it a little...then I adjusted the tone...then I placed it OVER my title and description. Hmmm...now no one will know "where they are". No title. Then it was back to make a copy of the picture, bring it up in the Navigator, and "oh cool, I can add text" lightbulb...and VOILA...a new title element! I like it. I like it a lot.

Still...this in not the REAL reason I am blogging today. Of course it's not! See the new picture? That's right...that's why.

What a beautiful day Rachigga and Prince Charming had for their wedding day! It WAS B-E-A-U-TIFUL! the weather was perfect...the Bride was perfect...the Groom was perfect. It was the perfect story-book wedding day. Seriously. It was touching and funny and precious and awesome. It was...amazing. Chief looked especially handsome in those Chief Dress Chokers and her girls were stunning and comfortable. The girls are like MY girls. I love them all dearly. The guys...well...let me just say I was never more impressed with a group of groomsmen. They were respectful and an absolute riot to be around! We laughed and joked and really had a great time with all of them. Thanks guys! Z-man...Flower...Beautiful...New York...Bright Eyes...amazingly well behaved and obviously proud and happy to share in the celebration!

My babies are now all married with babies of their own. All married. Weird. All over 21. All with spouses and children. Spouses. And children. Man...I am LOVING this.

Really? No...REALLY! I am so very proud of my children. Their lives. The people whom they have chosen to live with forever. Their love for their children. Their maturity. Their understanding. Their camaraderie. The love they ALL share for their precious Savior...a common thread many families cannot say they share...altogether. We all share much the same goals in life...all of us...and we do not have difficulty with one another if the implementation of those goals differ from time to time. Our "differences" make us a stronger family. We are protective of one another...and still do not stand in the way of one another. It's almost scary how dysfunctionally functional we are! I think I may need to look that up...can I use those two word in a sentence NEXT to one another?? HMMMMM....

I love US! This family...no matter how far we physically move from each other...is close. And we like it that way. Look at their faces. Smiling...not just for the camera...because they WANTED to be smiling. It was a smiley day! And beautiful...inside AND out. Happy and content. Inside AND out. It makes THIS Oma very proud...very proud indeed.

Here is Rachigga and her awesome photographer...HEY that's STEVIE! (yes...I said it.)

Isn't she beautiful?

A New Couple...

Brother and Sisters...

Moms and Dad...

Precious...

The most beautiful Flowergirl dresses EVER...thanks BFF!!

Little Man...Z-man!

Slow dancing Flower...

Just because I thought this was ADORABLE!

A New Family...