I prefer goats, but that's another story!

Yeah. I tagged a few of you on facebook. I rock. That's all!

Halloween

Bean wanted to go as Tinkerbell and she wanted to make a costume, so we did. It was very generic but I can promise you she was the only kid wearing this one. Shelbz went as a punk rocker. Yes, she's a little old for trick-or-treating but she did it for Bean. Bean walked up until the part where she realized there were actual monsters walking around - then she got scared. So me and Shelbz took turns carrying her (and I woke up with a pulled muscle in my back Sunday morning).

I haven't trick-or-treated in several years, obviously. So I didn't know what to expect. We went to the same busy neighborhood that has been the most popular spot in the area for years. Things have really changed. The neighborhood used to be so congested that the cars weren't even allowed to drive through unless they were actual residents. The city used to ask that everyone park their cars at a local lot and walk their kids around. The streets were always packed with parents and kids. Every porch light was on and every yard was decorated. This year, the parking lot was practically empty. Most of the cars traveling through were inconsiderate parents who were so concerned with getting to the next house first, they weren't even watching what they were doing. They'd pull their cars up right in front of the walkway so the kids who were actually on foot had to walk through ditches and mudholes just to get around them. And as far as the decorations - there weren't that many this year. And you'd walk past at least 10 or 15 houses with no porch lights on. Isn't there a universal rule that you are supposed to turn your porch light off if you don't want trick-or-treaters? There were a good bit of houses who still had their porch lights on that either didn't answer the door or that said they were not participating.

Overall, we had a great time. Bean isn't even 3 yet so we didn't need a lot of excitement to enjoy the night. I have to say I did almost come unglued when some lady blew smoke in my face while I was walking by with my kid in my arms. You may not mind giving your kid premature lung cancer, but don't pass it on to mine!

My beautiful, AMAZING sister!

You may want to have a seat. And grab a soda. And some popcorn.





This is my beautiful little sister. We call her Shelbz, even though her name ends with a y instead of a z. She is absolutely gorgeous (thanks to my awesmazing pitcha takin skillz). Now let me get started on a particular soap box regarding her that I've been trying to avoid. My friends know about all of the things that have been going on in my life for quite some time. The divorce. Court. Moving. Work. Family. Etc. I've learned to deal with these things instead of dwell on them. I've rid my life of some negative people and am finally at a place where I don't have to justify myself with every person I have contact with. I've also learned not to be such an open book. I now put up walls where I used to let anyone in. But today, I want to share something.

When my mom left, me and my two sisters stayed with my dad since we knew he could take care of us. After their divorce, momma was in and out of our lives and daddy was in and out of bars. I don't remember him drinking much until then. He met a lady that he married, divorced, married and divorced again. She got him arrested a few times for what we will just call "violent crimes". Overall, he took care of us. We had more money, food and clothes than we did when my mom was there. The bills got paid on or ahead of time. Life was better. But daddy changed when he got re-married. He went from spending lots of time with us to having very little to do with us because she admitted that we were in her way and she was jealous. Their fights ended up being my fault for whatever reason (my older sister got married and moved out and Shelby was just a baby - I was a teenager, and the only one in her way). They finally fell apart that last time and he dated off and on, but none really stuck around. He told us it was mostly because no one wanted the responsibility of someone else's kid. Now that I think back, it hurt. I would never allow someone else to come in between me and my child nor would I ever give my child a reason to think she is a problem in my life.

As for the arrests, my dad did have a temper but wasn't a violent person. My older sister got a belt put on her more than a few times growing up. Yeah, he was a little too rough, but I always thought she deserved it. As for us three girls and the love he showed us...he wasn't really as caring as I convinced myself he was. He more or less did things to be popular with us, and our friends and family. He didn't do things because he loved us. He did things because he felt the parental obligation. People who have known me for years will ask me now "I thought you and your dad were always close!?" We were. When was sober and had no one else, we were all he needed. But when he started drinking and realized he was alone, it was our fault and he made sure we knew it. And I loved him so much, I rarely told anyone that he made us feel this way.

I grew up, moved out and eventually got married. I noticed my dad was drinking more. My marriage fell apart the day before it began and I was dealing with that most of the time. Shelby was a teenager by now and she was getting suspended from school for fighting. She was smoking, hanging out with some pretty rough kids and had a very nasty attitude. Daddy didn't discipline her unless he was drunk and then he would take it too far. The first time he hit her, he told me she deserved it. By the time my marriage was completely over, I tried not to get involved but began to see it getting worse. My dad had Shelby driving him and his drunk friends around at 3 am from parties. She was still smoking, lying, sneaking around. I said what I could to put a stop to it but he would get mad and tell me to stay out of it. My dad and I had a big falling out late last year and I finally stopped even trying to be a part of his life.

In January, I moved away from them. In February I received a call asking me to come get Shelby from school. My dad had gotten drunk the night before and became abusive. Shelby was scared and after years of trying to get help from aunts, teachers and friends, I finally spoke up for her without worrying that my dad would get mad at me. I was instructed to take her to youth court and they would handle the rest. We had an emergency hearing the next day. My dad, sister, and aunt all told the judge that Shelby was out of control and that I was not capable of taking care of her. The judge still gave me custody and she's been with me ever since. At first, it was rough. Shelby pushed my buttons and found out how far she could get. We worked through it and she is now on the right path and she knows that she can count on me for anything. My dad hasn't seen Delaney or myself since February. He now refuses to speak to me, and even tried to cause me to lose my child because his was taken away. Shelby's Guardian Ad Litem (a child advocate appointed by the court) asked that they begin visitation. Shelby has had lunch with him a few times, but she still feels unwelcome in his life.

Shelby called my dad this week to give him her new cell phone number. He complained that she hadn't already given it to him, and she reminded him that my number hasn't changed if he ever needs to get in touch with her. He told her he wasn't calling me if he needed to get in touch with her, even if it's the only way to reach her. How can you tell your own child that they are not good enough for you to make one phone call?



Even through all of this, my amazing sister has stolen the heart of a beautiful and loving little 2 year old Bean. She has made the honor roll at school this year, (which is something she hasn't done in AGES). She makes good, responsible decisions and has become such a better person. I am SO proud of her for all that she has overcome.

Me and Mille @ Dr. Bender's retirement party

Earlier this year, Dr. Bender retired from the School of Nursing at UMC. I didn't know her well. But I liked what I did know. She was professional, kind, caring (as are almost all nurses). The party went well and everyone had a great time. Someone posted pics from the party on facebook and Clint tagged us in them yesterday!

Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...good times!

Summer Recap

What all did we do over the summer?

Shelby got a surprise dinner from me and Jess, with some of her best friends there!

I found some of the most beautiful flowers!

I ate lots of fruit (contrary to what some might say).

I found a mushroom that looked like a nipple, thanks to the Bloggess.

Um...found on one of our road trips.

I learned there is a such thing as a quiet zone but I have no idea exactly what the purpose of it is.

I'm still not sure what this look meant...but it made me nervous!

My sister made out with a goat!

Shelby joined the Army. Ok. She didn't. But her boyfriend is in the Army and we love him!

My daughter looks like a boy. Not really. But she is skinny and has very little hair. And she picks out boy colors to wear.

Bean decided she likes Oreo cookies.

Me, Bean and Shelbz spent lots of time at the park. Don't judge me. It's not like most of you haven't seen me without make-up on!

Patience

This is Patience. She is absolutely GORGEOUS! I did a session with her this weekend and a sneak peak is posted on my photo blog as well as my facebook fan page. But would you believe this chick is only 14! WOW! She did SUCH a great job!

Just wanted to share:

A Butterfly

I took these just a few weeks ago and forgot to post them.






I've never seen a butterfly up close. There is a really pretty garden in Brandon and these little guys were all over the place. They let you walk right up to them and almost touch them.

The Mississippi State Fair - 2009

Me and the girls went to the fair Friday night. I haven't been in several years because I really haven't wanted to go. It was supposed to rain all night but the rain held off for our visit. Yes, we all three sported galoshes and we did so with style!

First was a stop at the petting zoo. Bean absolutely loved it. My amusement was with the goats that fought over this huge turtle (which I thought was a real live turtle). They butted heads and pushed each other down, then took turns jumping on this thing. I guess they were pretty bored in those fences.

Shelbz was obsessed with the cow because it kept licking her hand and its tongue felt funny. He must have been hungry because he bit her. I was lucky enough to snap a pic right as she pulled her hand away!

And as you can see, Bean was happy to be there. She really loved the animals and couldn't get enough of them.

We got chicken-on-a-stick from Penn's and sat down to eat near the Mix 98.7 booth. Bean decided to get up and bust a move while Shelbz chatted with a friend from school that walked up to say hi.

This was the Jackson Zoo's reptile exhibit. Bean got to pet a baby alligator, which totally freaked me out when she put her hand up to it's mouth. But the animal guy said it didn't bite. I still wasn't taking that chance.

Here is some kind of reptile. I thought it was a snake that had eaten something really huge because it looked like a snake looks after it swallows a rat or something. But I just noticed last night that there are claws in the pic. So I'm going to assume it's some kind of komodo or something.

And finally, Shelbz got one of the guy's in the reptile exhibit to let her hold a snake. I couldn't get her off the phone though. She tried to get me to touch it but I wouldn't do it. Snakes freak me out.

See all of the pics on HERE on FLICK!

Kayla

This is my sister's friend, Kayla! As you can see, she is a very pleasant chick.

Kayla graduated from high school this past school year. I used to see a lot of her over the spring and summer, but I haven't seen much of her lately. Kayla and Shelbz actually got me hooked on softball this past spring. And she got me a really cool dress that I wanted from American Eagle since I did her senior portraits. I miss her! SIGH!

Let me share all of the nice things I liked about Kayla:
She's cute
She's funny
She thinks I'm funny
Bean LOVES her
She works at a place that has the best tarter sauce EVER!
She's sweet - like another little sister
She's stylish
She's fun to hang out with
Her nose is pierced
She's a caring person
She's smart

I could go on. But I'm getting lazy. Anywho...I miss you Kayla!

The Capitol Building

When we were visiting "The Liberty Bell" I snapped some shots of the Capitol Building aka the New Capitol in downtown Jackson. As many times as I've been out there, I've never really paid much attention to it. It's actually a really beautiful building.

The building was completed in 1903 and was erected on the site of the old state penitentiary. It cost $1,093,641 dollars, which was paid by the Illinois Central Railroad via back taxes they owed the state.

Shelbz and Bean look like little ants!

The Liberty Bell

Yup. That's the Liberty Bell.

America's icon of freedom.

In Mississippi.

I think it's a total rip-off. Nothing compares to the real thing. It's like giving someone a diet Coke and telling them it's a Coke.

So why does Mississippi have a Liberty Bell?

Apparently in 1950, the US used a French company to cast 55 full-sized replicas of the Liberty Bell. The bells were gifts to the US states and territories to be rung at patriotic events. The replica Bells don't have cracks in them.

The best part is the word Pennsylvania is spelled wrong. HA! No, it's not something that was done by some redneck in MS who can't spell. Remember, this is a replica made by a company in France. Another history lesson: Why does the bell say "Pensylvania"? At the time the Liberty Bell was made, there was no universal spelling of Pennsylvania. Even on the Constitution, it was spelled without one of the first n's.

See: Missing an N!

Bean

This is Bean on one of our play days. I could just stare into her blue eyes for hours!

As always, we had a great time. She ran around for about an hour and didn't want to go home.

Good-bye Summer

[Click on image to view flickr]

We won't be seeing these much longer. The mornings and nights are getting chilly and it's been raining a lot. That cold dreary rain. BLOUGH! But I'm kinda looking forward to wearing my big red wool toggle coat.

The pic above was taken on one of our play dates. Me, Bean and Shelbz have been putting the pretty days to use and we try to get out once every week or two and spend a Saturday or Sunday playing and goofing off. I don't know what we're gonna do when it starts getting really cold outside.

Meridian

Me, Shelbz and Bean took a day trip to Meridian.

I took Shelbz to the gypsy cemetery, which is absolutely beautiful. The king and queen of the gypsies are burried there and you can see that people make frequent visits to their graves. On any given day you can find a variety of things, from money, fresh fruit, unopened beer bottles, beads...

We also visited the Dentzel Carousel, which was made in Philadephia, Pennsylvania and is the only remaining two-row stationary Dentzel menagerie in the world. The carousel is protected in a shelter, but Bean did get to ride it. The city is also decorated with horses that are displayed in front of local business. More pics will be posted on flickr soon!

Shelbz and Bean

Thanks to my little sister, Bean is a tough little cookie. And she absolutely loves Shelbz. There is never a dull moment when the two of them get started.

Notice the bright red rebel flag on Shelbz' shirt. Yeah. She's a redneck.

Dedicated to the Fidiots!

I can already see this coming back to bite me in the ass.

Little "Red"

I think it's unavoidable.

The Bean looks just like I did when I was little. The only difference is that I had strawberry blonde hair (which turned to dirty blonde, then brown). Bean has BLONDE hair! But she's got those same blue eyes that I got from my dad. He's a straight-up redhead. People used to call me Little "Red", because I looked so much like my dad. I've recently found myself saying the same thing to Bean. When she was about 9 months, she looked a LOT like my dad. Especially when I compared their baby pics. The past 6 or so months she's started to look more like me. I think it helps that she's finally growing hair and looks less like a boy.

Bean:


Me:


My dad:


I miss my dad.

About that random Tweet...

NayNay came over to use my wireless to do some homework.

That's all I remember...

Oh...wait...I found this on my Canon...


No unarmed officers were injured in the taping of this blog post. Nor were they even present. Nor would they have been happy if they had walked out of their apartment and seen NayNay laying on the hood of their car. I thought it was pretty damn funnah. I actually snorted a few times on the way back to my apartment.

The end.

Slow Down, Tucker!

This is my sister Shelbz's friend, Jamie. He's in Iraq (or somewhere). We've been chatting on Facebook about some ideas that he and his medic have for a session and I'm SUPERexcited about trying it out. It's more along the lines of something kinda emo or gothic (from what I'm getting). Jamie says they will be "dark". lol. Shelbz will most likely be our model. I've used her tons of times, but haven't done any emotional shoots yet.

As for the pic above, it was taken by his medic, SlowDownGandhi, aka Doc Frey. He's got some really cool pics on deviantART. I've chatted with him a few times via email about our work. I think he does an excellent job, especially considering that he has very little equipment and probably very little time for adjustments and things over there. And he is caputring these images from a different perspective. You may see the same type of shot in a newspaper or magazine. But this is an actual soldier who sees things completely different. He's fighting. He has to take care of his guys when they get hurt. He's out there, on the line. I told him he should publish these images in a book. Maybe he will!

And as for Jamie...he's a really great guy! When he was home before his last deployment, he took us all out to eat and brought me Mexican food one day (which is the most AMAZING thing a man has ever done for me! lol). I think Jamie is one of my fav guy friends that Shelbz has ever had. Seriously. It was the Mexican food.

Be careful over there, guys!

Sweet Sweet BFM

Bethany (BFM, aka TT, aka Barfany, aka Lola) is going into business with April Orr of Love Story Celebrations to provide special event design, coordination, staffing and photography, etc. I was blessed with the privilege of designing their logo and wish them luck on their new venture!

That being said...Bethany has experienced me at my best and unfortunately my worst as well. We've shared midnight texts about man-hating and eating Mexican food and secretly blogging about man-hating and shopping and getting fat and being downright HAWT! Yeah. You could say I LURVE me some BFM, who by the way looks HAWT in CFM's.

I get off subject a lot. Anyway.

So there are a countless experiences in my life that BFM knows about and we often joke about these experiences (which I shall refer to as mistakes, nightmares, suicide attempts, etc). Apparently Bethany and I were separated at birth because we have almost the same bday and she is the one person I can share texts with that are downright inappropriate without worrying (or caring) if I'll offend her. And for the record, she is never offended when I tell her I build houses out of Lincoln Logs (don't ask).

Bethany is the bomb.

Now: We follow each other on Twitter. Very few people have any idea what the hell we are talking about at any given moment. Ok. No one knows what we are talking about. We hardly know what we are talking about. I also had no idea what I was talking about when I sent her this Tweet a few nights ago:

"i love peace. and grease. and bfm. and naynay. oh. superfun. we just attacked a cop car with a canon; SUPERsweet. i love u"

Let those without sin pass the first stone...

I truly love her. The end.

David L. Robbins

I posted this a while back on the flickr group. But for those of you who haven't seen it...



I used to drive past this every day on 20 and could never see what it said. Finally, I got a glimpse and told one of my friends about this sign that is nailed to a tree right on the side of the interstate for everyone to see. She didn't believe me. So I stopped and took a pic.

David L. Robbins must have really pissed someone off. I'm going to assume it was his wife.

The dangers of fishing

So tonight I was doing some work on the computer and I hear this loud crash. Like glass shattering. Outside. I was like "Eff...Great. Just great. Someone just broke into my car!" I get outside and the cop that lives two doors down is parked at his boat (which is next to my car). He's like "What's up girl" and I'm like "Did I just hear glass break" and he's like "Yeah, I dropped my tool box!"

Oh. Ok. Thanks for scaring the shiz out of me.

Anywho. He'd been jug fishing and was showing me these huge fish he caught. Great. Now I want fried catfish. And he was telling me about fishing. Great. Now I want to go fishing. These are things I used to do but don't anymore. And I say I want to go. But I will probably decide it takes more work than I'm willing to do, like baiting and actually holding the fishing reel. But back to my story. We will call said cop "Fisher" because he was fishing. So Fisher was telling me his battery died in the middle of the reservoir where he was fishing and he had to use his anchor to move his boat since he didn't have paddles. For about three or so hours he would throw the anchor out, pull himself to it, lift it again and then throw it back out...over and over and over.

No wonder he dropped his tool box.

And for fun, here is another project I'm working on:

My Mother's Maiden Name

This is a photo of my grandparents with my mother. I'm going to guess and say it was taken around 1960 or so. No idea where. And you have to excuse the tape from years of being toted around in a raggedy old photo album. I was lucky to get this one. My older sister went to my mom's several years back and scanned some photos from my grandparents' old photo album. My grandpa had it in an old suitcase that he carried around in his trunk for years. When he died, my uncle got it. Photos seem to be one of the most valuable things in this family and since they aren't the most honest of folks - well let's just say there have been some old family photos to disappear.

Most of what I thought I knew about my grandparents (mostly my grandmother) growing up was inaccurate. They came from gypsies. I think it was actually my grandpa's family that were the gypsies, but haven't really been able to verify that. My grandparents took advantage of a lot of people. They used people. I do know that. I don't remember it. But I think about the lifestyle that they lived when I knew them (which I thought was normal) and I compare it to what I've learned and what I know isn't normal. My mom used to tell us stories about traveling and getting to visit all of these nice people when she was a little girl. Apparently that too was far from the truth. It was foster homes. I've heard their parents weren't the best caregivers. And I go back to "who can you really trust" to tell you what REALLY happened? My grandmother died when I was about 8 or 9. I loved her. And I think she loved us. My grandfather wasn't around as much after that. He carried a bible and claimed to be a minister. He wasn't. I think it was more like: he got ordained through one of those mail-in things. Anyway. He died when I was in high school. One of my uncles is pretty trustworthy and he used to tell me the truth about things when I'd ask. But I haven't seen or talked to him in years. Sometimes I want to know more. And sometimes I don't.

American History II

I feel so sloppy...


Yesterday I took my first online test for this semester in American History II. I just feel so dumb. I got 17 out of 19. Once I started taking the test, I realized I had only read like 3 pages of the chapter. This week I've been sick and when I was reading my book Wednesday night, I almost fell asleep.

Ugh. I can't express how disappointed I am in myself. I love me some history. Like Janice Dickinson loves herself. But this first chapter is about Reconstruction and I'm the dumbest person ever when it comes to politics. There is a lot in there about Congress and all. I don't really care about Congress. BLAH.

30 things to do before I turn 30 (tomorrow)!

I will be turning 30 tomorrow and I made a list earlier this year of things that I should do before then. Let's see what my progress is:

1. Take a vacation
Does a road trip count?
2. STAY ORGANIZED!
It's a constant work in progress.
3. Find my faith...I lost it a while back.
It's like the wind. I can't see it, but sometimes I can feel it!
4. Get my hot pink vintage dress taken in (so I can FINALLY wear it)!
I decided I don't really like that dress.
5. Find a pair of shoes to go with my hot pink vintage dress.
I've found tons of shoes...to go with other things in my closet.
6. Clean my purse out.
I'm on a new one right now and it needs to be cleaned.
7. Kick my Coke (a-Cola) habit, yet again.
I kicked it. About 10 times.
8. Successfully get a 4WD out of the mud without breaking any cables... don't ask!
Hasn't happened yet.
9. Take a deep breath...
Just did!
10. Convince Haley to come up off my 10 bucks!
I just sent her a reminder text.
11. Keep in touch with Amanda!
Haven't done very good with this one.
12. Take a ride..."BEEF"... I'm tellin ya, Shelby. It ain't happenin!
Didn't happen! haha
13. Spend an entire day on a road trip taking pictures of random things.
I did this once.
14. Learn the true meaning of "forgiveness".
It's an awesome thing. I've learned what it means. I just have to learn how to use it.
15. Go ride Clay's horses. And give his dad their pictures. Oh, I forgot about the cows.
Oh. Wow. Really? I forgot again.
16. Practice the meaning of FORGIVENESS.
I've been practicing.
17. Have dinner with Rachel and Frannie.
I suck as a friend.
18. Update my life's soundtrack.
I do this at least once a week.
19. Walk away...and not look back!
I've done this a time or two. It felt good.
20. Clean my closet.
I found a lot of stuff that I didn't realize I had. Why would I ever have worn that?
21. Introduce Ellis to my hair. I wonder if he remembers me....???
Oh . Wow. Didn't happen.
22. Fix the things in my life that need fixing.
I've been doing that with the help of some really great people!
23. Set aside a night to watch HIMYM reruns with Alejandro.
We did this once, after Shelbz and I cooked him dinner.
24. Get my website back up and running.
DONE!
25. Call Bethany. I never call important people. I need to.
I'm so glad we have cell phones, FB, Twitter and email. Texting is love!
26. Have dinner with Doug and Matt.
Am I THAT bad of a friend? LOL I never have dinner with anyone anymore.
27. Listen more...talk less.
Working on it!
28. Pass out long overdue CD's to friends that are filled with pics of various social events.
DONE!
29. Update my albums on MySpace, flickr and facebook.
Kinda sorta.
30. Pray.
I've been doing this more often. It is refreshing.

Here is something that makes me very happy: My Bean! I've been playing with watermarks for my new logo and thought I'd try them out on some of her swimming pics!

REVAMP!

I think I'm liking the new photo logo. I've played around with several recently and wanted to go with something vintage, whimsical and not so standard. I'm taking on Senior Sessions and am getting ready to start booking Christmas Sessions!

Check out the blog: CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW BLOG!

The age old question...

NO - I was NOT pointing at my boobs. At least not intentionally.



Everyone who sees this pic on Facebook or Flickr asks this question. When I say no, they want to know the deal. So here it is...

I have boobs. None of my friends do (except NayNay). When we go shopping, I often have to try things on if one of my friends is getting a gift for someone else who has boobs. They want to see how it would look on said person with boobs. This is what happened in this pic. A friend asked me to try this shirt on because it was a gift for her mom (who has boobs). I finally agreed, and told her I was documenting this and would eventually start charging for this service. MY FINGER WAS JUST POINTING AT THE SITUATION IN GENERAL.

shaRON's going away/b-day lunch

shaRON and me at the NYE Tacky Dress Par-tay!

Today was shaRON's last day to work with us. AND her birthday is MONDAY! YAY! Even though we all work on different parts of the campus, we've all bonded pretty tightly. That being said, you have to be very careful when you are with us. There is no telling what will be said or even done.

On the way, NayNay was asking if I've ever "Saran Wrapped" myself. Um. NO. Why would I? She says it's supposed to be sexy. Jessers said she did it for her ex-husband and he told her she was just being stupid. Sharon said she would need like more than a few boxes. I can just see myself wrapping up for a guy. "Um...Hun...you should have used some aluminum foil instead!" And Amani called her hubs, who said he would prefer her barefoot and naked.

On to Wraps...the Greek restaurant we ate at. Amani ordered a veggie wrap that consisted of lettuce, tomato and french fries. Really? I know they are potatoes. But on a veggie wrap? Come on! LOL. Lunch was good though. We talked about how I'm now obsessed with "Megan Wants a Millionaire" because it's nice to see people who are more messed up than I am. Then we got started on other reality shows, and made fun of the Jesus posters on the wall that were apparently ripped from an old calendar. Like they say, "A ticket to hell has never been so funny!" Ok. That was wrong. I should go and pray now. But seriously. Those posters were not normal. Jessica whispered when she said the words "black", "trashy" and "trailer park". Oh. We also had a discussion about Ron Jeremy and how ugly he is.

After an hour with us, Amani appeared to be having a seizure. But I think she's better now!

Anywho, we love you shaRON and we will miss you! Have a great time at your new job!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Chameleon

Photo credit: Matthew Cook
http://www.flickr.com/photos/postpurchase/

CREATE YOUR BAND NAME & ALBUM COVER:

To Do This

1 - Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random

The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to Quotations Page and select "random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3

The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days

Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5 - Post it to FB with this text in the "caption" or "comment" and TAG the friends you want to join in.

Ok. So I didn't post it on FB. I will. But wanted to share it here. It's cool to see what you can come up with!

That's the beauty...

...of falling in love. I fall in love all over again every day. Not with anyone in particular. Just with the things and people in my life. Experiences. Memories. Chances.

That beautiful little girl that I get to wake up to. The one that showers me with kisses and tells me she wants breakfast every morning. Yep, the one that has learned to scream bloody murder when she sees a fly, because she think it will hurt her. To every single drink that I fix, at her request only to have her say she wants to drink out of my cup. To reading bedtime books over and over again. To knowing that no one will ever love her the way I do and realizing that it's OK to do it on my own.

With my sister. She's grown up so much over the past year. She is absolutely gorgeous. This is her last year of high school and the girl has dealt with a lot of things (I took her in this past February). We laugh and we cry together. Watch sappy love stories on TV. Shop. Eat Mexican food. I worry that our dad won't come to see her graduate because he is angry at both of us. Or that she will eventually return home now that his treatment is complete and things will go back to the way they were for her. Even worse, that he won't let me see her anymore (or at least until next summer when she's 18). That fear is what makes me hold onto every minute we share together.

With my friends. The ones that know so much about me and still love me as family. The kind of friends that know when you are down, and know just what to say. The ones that give you space when you need it. Even the ones that push and push your buttons, but will back off before you blow a gasket. The ones that are OK when you say "I love you, but I don't want to talk to you right now." Or when you don't have to say it...when you think it...and they know...and they are OK with that. The ones that can go days without talking to you because both of our lives are hectic, yet they still can pick up right where we left off.

Yeah, friends...the ones in my "networks", on facebook, photogs, twitter, flickr, blog buddies...people that read my "other" blog. TEEHEE. FB friends that know just what kind of comment to say to make me spit out whatever beverage I am sippin on. (That means you, TT, shaRON and NayNay). The ones that reply to my crazy and sometimes inappropriate Twitter status. Long distance friendships. People that I never see but had to get unlimited texting to talk with. BTW, I feel lost without my BlackBerry and Bethany's random "hate mail". Emily... we were in basic together. Still haven't caught up as good as I'd like to. But I love to know that she is doing well. She makes me laugh.

My artsy side. The one I hid for so long because I had someone telling me I couldn't/wouldn't/shouldn't succeed. The side that I'm seeing so much more of. That is filled with inspiration and color and fabric and needles and yarn and hammered silver (don't ask).

People that I meet and can't forget. Places I go and want to see again. Thing I do and don't regret.

I've grown too. It has taken two long and trying years...some really bad experiences. Lots of struggle, tears and pain. Worry. Fear. People walking away. Me pushing people away. Me running away. I could go on. But I don't need to. Because the people that matter don't mind, and the people that mind don't matter! I'm just glad they've all helped me in some way.

Artsy Fartsy

I took the girls to visit my mom this weekend. We had a good time. The Bean got to swim in their pool, and would NOT let go of me. She also got to feed their horses and she talked about it the entire weekend. While we were there, my mom got out some of my old craft stuff that she took with her the last time I moved (since I had no room or desire for it). I've been feeling very creative lately and have been working on a jewelry line. I decided to start making scarves again. I LOVE ME SOME SCARVES! I made tons of them when I was in the hospital a few years ago. What else was there to do but watch Tyra? LOL

The sad thing is, I had over $200 worth of yarn that was lost on the drive back to their house when they took it all with them. One of the boxes busted and they lost a lot of stuff without even realizing it. Oh well. I've got plenty of tools for my jewelry (can't wait to post pics).